Esforzar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb esforzar means to make an effort, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Esforzar without a pronoun is transitive: you strain or push something to its limit, as in esforzar la voz or esforzar el motor. For making an effort yourself, Spanish normally uses the reflexive form esforzarse. Like every Spanish verb, esforzar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo esfuerzo la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza and esfuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: esforzamos, esforzáis. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is esforcé and the present subjunctive yo form is esfuerce.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: esforzar
  • English: to make an effort
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: esforzando
  • Past participle: esforzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + esforzado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for esforzar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for esforzar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | esfuerzo | | tú | esfuerzas | | él/ella/Ud. | esfuerza | | nosotros/as | esforzamos | | vosotros/as | esforzáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esfuerzan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | esforcé | | tú | esforzaste | | él/ella/Ud. | esforzó | | nosotros/as | esforzamos | | vosotros/as | esforzasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esforzaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | esforzaba | | tú | esforzabas | | él/ella/Ud. | esforzaba | | nosotros/as | esforzábamos | | vosotros/as | esforzabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esforzaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | esforzaré | | tú | esforzarás | | él/ella/Ud. | esforzará | | nosotros/as | esforzaremos | | vosotros/as | esforzaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esforzarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | esforzaría | | tú | esforzarías | | él/ella/Ud. | esforzaría | | nosotros/as | esforzaríamos | | vosotros/as | esforzaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esforzarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he esforzado | | tú | has esforzado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha esforzado | | nosotros/as | hemos esforzado | | vosotros/as | habéis esforzado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han esforzado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había esforzado | | tú | habías esforzado | | él/ella/Ud. | había esforzado | | nosotros/as | habíamos esforzado | | vosotros/as | habíais esforzado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían esforzado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré esforzado | | tú | habrás esforzado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá esforzado | | nosotros/as | habremos esforzado | | vosotros/as | habréis esforzado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán esforzado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría esforzado | | tú | habrías esforzado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría esforzado | | nosotros/as | habríamos esforzado | | vosotros/as | habríais esforzado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían esforzado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | esfuerce | | tú | esfuerces | | él/ella/Ud. | esfuerce | | nosotros/as | esforcemos | | vosotros/as | esforcéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esfuercen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | esforzara | | tú | esforzaras | | él/ella/Ud. | esforzara | | nosotros/as | esforzáramos | | vosotros/as | esforzarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esforzaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | esfuerza | | él/ella/Ud. | esfuerce | | nosotros/as | esforcemos | | vosotros/as | esforzad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esfuercen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | esfuerces | | él/ella/Ud. | esfuerce | | nosotros/as | esforcemos | | vosotros/as | esforcéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | esfuercen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund esforzando with estar for the progressive: está esforzando
Past participle esforzado with haber for the perfect tenses: he esforzado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza and esfuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: esforzamos, esforzáis. For esforzar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo esfuerzo la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is esforcé and the present subjunctive yo form is esfuerce. For esforzar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo esforcé la vista para leer — "Yesterday, I strained his eyesight to read".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo esforzaba el motor del coche — "As a child, I used to strain the car engine".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo esforzaré al máximo el equipo — "Tomorrow, I will strain the team to the utmost".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo esforzaría la voz en la reunión si pudiera — "I would strain his voice in the meeting if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he esforzado la vista para leer — "Today, I have strained his eyesight to read".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había esforzado el motor del coche antes de salir — "I already had strained the car engine before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré esforzado al máximo el equipo — "By tomorrow, I will have strained the team to the utmost".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría esforzado la voz en la reunión con más tiempo — "I would have strained his voice in the meeting with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza and esfuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: esforzamos, esforzáis. For esforzar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él esfuerce la vista para leer — "I hope he strains his eyesight to read".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For esforzar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo esforzara el motor del coche, todo cambiaría — "If I strained the car engine, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza and esfuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: esforzamos, esforzáis. For esforzar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Esfuerza al máximo el equipo. — "Strain the team to the utmost.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza and esfuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: esforzamos, esforzáis. For esforzar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No esfuerces la voz en la reunión. — "Do not strain his voice in the meeting.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with esforzar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo esfuerzo la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting"
  2. Mi amigo esfuerza la vista para leer — "My friend strains his eyesight to read"
  3. Ayer, yo esforcé el motor del coche — "Yesterday, I strained the car engine"
  4. Antes, nosotros esforzábamos al máximo el equipo — "Before, we used to strain the team to the utmost"
  5. Mañana, tú esforzarás la memoria para recordar — "Tomorrow, you will strain his memory to remember"
  6. Yo esforzaría la voz en la reunión si tuviera más tiempo — "I would strain his voice in the meeting if I had more time"
  7. Él ha esforzado la vista para leer — "He has strained his eyesight to read"
  8. Espero que él esfuerce el motor del coche — "I hope he strains the car engine"
  9. Yo ya había esforzado al máximo el equipo antes de salir — "I already had strained the team to the utmost before leaving"
  10. Ellos esforzaban la memoria para recordar cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to strain his memory to remember when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo esforzo la vista para leer. — Right: Yo esfuerzo la vista para leer. — esforzar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is esfuerzo, not esforzo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo esforzé el motor del coche. — Right: Ayer, yo esforcé el motor del coche. — The z of esforzar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is esforcé, never esforzé.
  3. Wrong: Espero que él esfuerza la vista para leer — Right: Espero que él esfuerce la vista para leer — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él esfuerce la vista para leer — not the indicative Espero que él esfuerza la vista para leer.
  4. Wrong: Ayer, yo esfuerzo el motor del coche — Right: Ayer, yo esforcé el motor del coche — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo esforcé el motor del coche.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo esforcé al máximo el equipo todos los días — Right: De niño, yo esforzaba al máximo el equipo todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo esforzaba al máximo el equipo todos los días.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on esforzar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting" (present) A. esfuerza B. esforzamos C. esfuerzo D. esfuerzas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la vista para leer — "He strained his eyesight to read" (preterite) A. esforcé B. esforzaste C. esforzamos D. esforzó

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el motor del coche — "We used to strain the car engine" (imperfect) A. esforzaba B. esforzabas C. esforzabais D. esforzábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ al máximo el equipo — "You will strain the team to the utmost" (future) A. esforzaremos B. esforzarás C. esforzaré D. esforzará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la memoria para recordar — "I would strain his memory to remember" (conditional) A. esforzarías B. esforzaríamos C. esforzaríais D. esforzaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la voz en la reunión — "I hope he strains his voice in the meeting" (present subjunctive) A. esforcemos B. esforcéis C. esfuerce D. esfuerces

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la vista para leer, todo cambiaría — "If I strained his eyesight to read, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. esforzaras B. esforzáramos C. esforzarais D. esforzara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el motor del coche — "We have strained the car engine" (present perfect) A. he esforzado B. has esforzado C. ha esforzado D. hemos esforzado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ al máximo el equipo. — "Do not strain the team to the utmost." (negative imperative) A. esforcéis B. esfuerces C. esfuerce D. esforcemos

  10. Which is the gerund of esforzar, used with estar for the progressive? A. esfuerzo B. esforcé C. esforzando D. esforzado

Answer key

  1. esfuerzo — The present form for yo is esfuerzo.
  2. esforzó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is esforzó.
  3. esforzábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is esforzábamos.
  4. esforzarás — The future form for tú is esforzarás.
  5. esforzaría — The conditional form for yo is esforzaría.
  6. esfuerce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is esfuerce.
  7. esforzara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is esforzara.
  8. hemos esforzado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos esforzado.
  9. esfuerces — The negative imperative form is esfuerces.
  10. esforzando — The gerund of esforzar is esforzando: estoy esforzando. The participle esforzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does esforzar mean in English?

esforzar means to make an effort. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo esfuerzo la voz en la reunión — "I strain his voice in the meeting". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is esforzar regular?

No. esforzar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza and esfuerzan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: esforzamos, esforzáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of esforzar?

The gerund is esforzando and the past participle is esforzado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I strain" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo esforcé la vista para leer — "Yesterday, I strained his eyesight to read". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo esforzaba el motor del coche — "As a child, I used to strain the car engine". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he esforzado la vista para leer — "Today, I have strained his eyesight to read".

What is the difference between esforzar and esforzarse?

Esforzarse is the reflexive, everyday form for making an effort: me esfuerzo por aprender. Esforzar without the pronoun strains something else, such as la voz or el motor. Esforzar without a pronoun is transitive: you strain or push something to its limit, as in esforzar la voz or esforzar el motor. For making an effort yourself, Spanish normally uses the reflexive form esforzarse.

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