Esforzarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of esforzarse — "to make an effort" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for esforzarse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish".
Present tense conjugation table: esforzarse
Every person of esforzarse in the present tense. The gerund is esforzando and the past participle is esforzado.
| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | esfuerzo | | tú | te | esfuerzas | | él/ella/Ud. | se | esfuerza | | nosotros/as | nos | esforzamos | | vosotros/as | os | esforzáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | esfuerzan |
How the present of esforzarse is formed
The present of esforzarse is built from the stem esforzar- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Pronoun | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | -o | me esfuerzo |
| tú | te | -as | te esfuerzas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | -a | se esfuerza |
| nosotros/as | nos | -amos | nos esforzamos |
| vosotros/as | os | -áis | os esforzáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | -an | se esfuerzan |
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. esforzarse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present.
The gerund of esforzarse is esforzando and the past participle is esforzado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of esforzarse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and esforzarse appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo me esfuerzo por aprender español" — "Every day, I make an effort to learn Spanish"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo se esfuerza por llegar a tiempo" — "My friend makes an effort to arrive on time"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo me esfuerzo por entender la lección" — "Right now, I make an effort to understand the lesson"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros nos esforzamos al máximo en el examen" — "Tomorrow, we make an effort to the utmost in the exam"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos se esfuerzan por mejorar su pronunciación" — "They make an effort to improve his pronunciation"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo me esforcé por aprender español — "I made an effort to learn Spanish"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú te esfuerzas por llegar a tiempo — "You make an effort to arrive on time"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú te esforzabas por llegar a tiempo — "You used to make an effort to arrive on time"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él se esfuerza por entender la lección — "He makes an effort to understand the lesson"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él se esforzará por entender la lección — "He will make an effort to understand the lesson"
Examples: esforzarse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show esforzarse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish"
- Tú te esfuerzas por llegar a tiempo — "You make an effort to arrive on time"
- Él se esfuerza por entender la lección — "He makes an effort to understand the lesson"
- Nosotros nos esforzamos al máximo en el examen — "We make an effort to the utmost in the exam"
- Vosotros os esforzáis por mejorar su pronunciación — "You make an effort to improve his pronunciation"
- Ellos se esfuerzan por aprender español — "They make an effort to learn Spanish"
- Yo me esfuerzo por llegar a tiempo — "I make an effort to arrive on time"
Common mistakes with esforzarse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with esforzarse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo me esforzaro por aprender español.
✓ Correct: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español.
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.
✗ *Tú se esfuerza por llegar a tiempo.
✓ Correct: Tú te esfuerzas por llegar a tiempo.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes esfuerzas, él takes esfuerza.
✗ *Cada día, yo me esforcé por entender la lección
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo me esfuerzo por entender la lección
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros os esforzais al máximo en el examen.
✓ Correct: Vosotros os esforzáis al máximo en el examen.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: esforzáis, not esforzais.
Quiz: esforzarse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of esforzarse. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of esforzarse for tú? A. te esfuerzas B. me esfuerzo C. se esfuerza D. nos esforzamos
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
Complete the sentence: Él ______ por llegar a tiempo — "He makes an effort to arrive on time" (present) A. se esfuerza B. me esfuerzo C. te esfuerzas D. nos esforzamos
Which is the correct present form of esforzarse for nosotros? A. te esfuerzas B. se esfuerza C. se esfuerzan D. nos esforzamos
Which sentence uses esforzarse correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo nos esforzamos por entender la lección B. Mi amigo se esfuerza por entender la lección C. Mi amigo te esfuerzas por entender la lección D. Mi amigo se esforzaba por entender la lección
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ al máximo en el examen — "You make an effort to the utmost in the exam" (present) A. me esfuerzo B. te esfuerzas C. se esfuerza D. os esforzáis
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ por mejorar su pronunciación — "They make an effort to improve his pronunciation" (present) A. se esfuerzan B. me esfuerzo C. te esfuerzas D. se esfuerza
What is the gerund of esforzarse? A. esfuerzo B. esforcé C. esforzando D. esforzado
Answer key
- te esfuerzas — The tú form in the present is te esfuerzas.
- me esfuerzo — The present form for yo is me esfuerzo.
- se esfuerza — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is se esfuerza.
- nos esforzamos — The nosotros form in the present is nos esforzamos.
- Mi amigo se esfuerza por entender la lección — Mi amigo se esfuerza por entender la lección is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- os esforzáis — The present form for vosotros/as is os esforzáis.
- se esfuerzan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is se esfuerzan.
- esforzando — The gerund is esforzando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle esforzado.
Frequently asked questions
Is esforzarse regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: 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.
What is the gerund and the past participle of esforzarse?
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 you say "I make an effort" in the present tense?
Say esfuerzo. For example: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of esforzarse?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo me esforcé por aprender español — "Yesterday, I made an effort to learn Spanish". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of esforzarse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- esforzarse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.