Esforzarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

esforzarse means "to make an effort" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Esforzarse is reflexive, so every form carries a pronoun: me esfuerzo, te esfuerzas, se esfuerza. It usually takes por + infinitive for the goal of the effort, or en + noun for the area: esforzarse en el trabajo. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of esforzarse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the esforzarse present tense page.

esforzarse in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish"
  2. Mi amigo se esfuerza por llegar a tiempo — "My friend makes an effort to arrive on time"
  3. Mañana, tú te esforzarás por entender la lección — "Tomorrow, you will make an effort to understand the lesson"
  4. Yo me esforzaría al máximo en el examen si pudiera — "I would make an effort to the utmost in the exam if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo me esforcé por aprender español — "Yesterday, I made an effort to learn Spanish"
  2. Antes, nosotros nos esforzábamos por llegar a tiempo — "Before, we used to make an effort to arrive on time"
  3. Él se ha esforzado por entender la lección — "He has made an effort to understand the lesson"
  4. Yo ya me había esforzado al máximo en el examen antes de salir — "I already had made an effort to the utmost in the exam before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él se esfuerce por aprender español — "I hope he makes an effort to learn Spanish"
  2. Si yo me esforzara por llegar a tiempo, todo cambiaría — "If I made an effort to arrive on time, everything would change"
  3. Que se esfuerce por entender la lección. — "Let him make an effort to understand the lesson."
  4. Yo me habría esforzado al máximo en el examen con más tiempo — "I would have made an effort to the utmost in the exam with more time"

esforzarse in conversation

Two short dialogues that use esforzarse the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish"
  • Marcos: Él se esfuerza por llegar a tiempo — "He makes an effort to arrive on time"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo me esforcé por entender la lección — "Yesterday, I made an effort to understand the lesson"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú te esforzarás al máximo en el examen — "Tomorrow, you will make an effort to the utmost in the exam"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Que se esfuerce por mejorar su pronunciación. — "Let him make an effort to improve his pronunciation."
  • Lucía: Él se ha esforzado por aprender español — "He has made an effort to learn Spanish"
  • Marcos: Espero que él se esfuerce por llegar a tiempo — "I hope he makes an effort to arrive on time"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo me esforzaba por entender la lección — "Before, I used to make an effort to understand the lesson"

Common mistakes with esforzarse

The errors learners actually make with esforzarse, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo esfuerzo por entender la lección.

✓ Correct: Yo me esfuerzo por entender la lección.

esforzarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

✗ *Yo me esforzaro al máximo en el examen.

✓ Correct: Yo me esfuerzo al máximo en el examen.

esforzarse is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is esfuerzo, not esforzaro.

✗ *Espero que él se esfuerza al máximo en el examen

✓ Correct: Espero que él se esfuerce al máximo en el examen

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él se esfuerce al máximo en el examen — not the indicative Espero que él se esfuerza al máximo en el examen.

✗ *Ayer, yo me esfuerzo por mejorar su pronunciación

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo me esforcé por mejorar su pronunciación

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me esforcé por mejorar su pronunciación.

✗ *De niño, yo me esforcé por aprender español todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo me esforzaba por aprender español todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo me esforzaba por aprender español todos los días.

Quiz: esforzarse in use

Ten questions on esforzarse — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish" (present) A. nos esforzamos B. me esfuerzo C. te esfuerzas D. se esfuerza

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ por llegar a tiempo — "Yesterday, I made an effort to arrive on time" (preterite) A. nos esforzamos B. me esforcé C. te esforzaste D. se esforzó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ por entender la lección — "Before, we used to make an effort to understand the lesson" (imperfect) A. se esforzaba B. nos esforzábamos C. me esforzaba D. te esforzabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ al máximo en el examen — "Tomorrow, you will make an effort to the utmost in the exam" (future) A. se esforzará B. nos esforzaremos C. te esforzarás D. me esforzaré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por mejorar su pronunciación — "I would make an effort to improve his pronunciation" (conditional) A. se esforzaría B. nos esforzaríamos C. me esforzaría D. te esforzarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ por aprender español — "He has made an effort to learn Spanish" (present perfect) A. te has esforzado B. nos hemos esforzado C. se ha esforzado D. me he esforzado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ por llegar a tiempo — "I hope he makes an effort to arrive on time" (present subjunctive) A. se esfuerce B. me esfuerce C. te esfuerces D. nos esforcemos

  8. Complete the sentence: Que ______ por entender la lección. — "Let him make an effort to understand the lesson." (affirmative imperative) A. te esfuerces B. nos esforcemos C. os esforcéis D. se esfuerce

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

  10. What does esforzarse mean in English? A. to make an effort B. to try C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. me esfuerzo — The present form for yo is me esfuerzo.
  2. me esforcé — The preterite form for yo is me esforcé.
  3. nos esforzábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is nos esforzábamos.
  4. te esforzarás — The future form for tú is te esforzarás.
  5. me esforzaría — The conditional form for yo is me esforzaría.
  6. se ha esforzado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is se ha esforzado.
  7. se esfuerce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is se esfuerce.
  8. se esfuerce — The affirmative imperative form is se esfuerce.
  9. esforzando — The gerund of esforzarse is esforzando: estoy esforzando. The participle esforzado is used with haber instead.
  10. to make an effort — esforzarse means to make an effort.

Frequently asked questions

What does esforzarse mean in English?

esforzarse means to make an effort. For example: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with esforzarse?

esforzarse takes por before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with esforzarse.

Is esforzarse regular?

No. esforzarse 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.

How do I practise esforzarse?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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