Esforzarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb esforzarse means to make an effort, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, esforzarse 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 me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish". 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. esforzarse is reflexive, so every form carries a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: esforzarse
  • English: to make an effort
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue), reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: esforzando
  • Past participle: esforzado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + esforzado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

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

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for esforzarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

| 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 |

Preterite

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | esforcé | | tú | te | esforzaste | | él/ella/Ud. | se | esforzó | | nosotros/as | nos | esforzamos | | vosotros/as | os | esforzasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | esforzaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | esforzaba | | tú | te | esforzabas | | él/ella/Ud. | se | esforzaba | | nosotros/as | nos | esforzábamos | | vosotros/as | os | esforzabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | esforzaban |

Future

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | esforzaré | | tú | te | esforzarás | | él/ella/Ud. | se | esforzará | | nosotros/as | nos | esforzaremos | | vosotros/as | os | esforzaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | esforzarán |

Conditional

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | esforzaría | | tú | te | esforzarías | | él/ella/Ud. | se | esforzaría | | nosotros/as | nos | esforzaríamos | | vosotros/as | os | esforzaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | esforzarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | había esforzado | | tú | te | habías esforzado | | él/ella/Ud. | se | había esforzado | | nosotros/as | nos | habíamos esforzado | | vosotros/as | os | habíais esforzado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | habían esforzado |

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | habría esforzado | | tú | te | habrías esforzado | | él/ella/Ud. | se | habría esforzado | | nosotros/as | nos | habríamos esforzado | | vosotros/as | os | habríais esforzado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | habrían esforzado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | esfuerce | | tú | te | esfuerces | | él/ella/Ud. | se | esfuerce | | nosotros/as | nos | esforcemos | | vosotros/as | os | esforcéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | esfuercen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Pronoun | Form | |---|---|---|---| | yo | me | esforzara | | tú | te | esforzaras | | él/ella/Ud. | se | esforzara | | nosotros/as | nos | esforzáramos | | vosotros/as | os | esforzarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | esforzaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

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

Imperative (negative)

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

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund esforzando with estar for the progressive: me estoy esforzando
Past participle esforzado with haber for the perfect tenses: me 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 esforzarse, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish".

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. For esforzarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo me esforcé por llegar a tiempo — "Yesterday, I made an effort to arrive on time".

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 esforzarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo me esforzaba por entender la lección — "As a child, I used to make an effort to understand the lesson".

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 esforzarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo me esforzaré al máximo en el examen — "Tomorrow, I will make an effort to the utmost in the exam".

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 esforzarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me esforzaría por aprender español si pudiera — "I would make an effort to learn Spanish 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 esforzarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo me he esforzado por llegar a tiempo — "Today, I have made an effort to arrive on time".

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 esforzarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya me había esforzado por entender la lección antes de salir — "I already had made an effort to understand the lesson 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 esforzarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo me habré esforzado al máximo en el examen — "By tomorrow, I will have made an effort to the utmost in the exam".

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 esforzarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo me habría esforzado por aprender español con más tiempo — "I would have made an effort to learn Spanish 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 esforzarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se esfuerce por llegar a tiempo — "I hope he makes an effort to arrive on time".

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 esforzarse, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo me esforzara por entender la lección, todo cambiaría — "If I made an effort to understand the lesson, 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 esforzarse, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Que se esfuerce al máximo en el examen. — "Let him make an effort to the utmost in the exam.".

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 esforzarse, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No te esfuerces por aprender español. — "Do not make an effort to learn Spanish.".

Example sentences

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

  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. Ayer, yo me esforcé por entender la lección — "Yesterday, I made an effort to understand the lesson"
  4. Antes, nosotros nos esforzábamos al máximo en el examen — "Before, we used to make an effort to the utmost in the exam"
  5. Mañana, tú te esforzarás por mejorar su pronunciación — "Tomorrow, you will make an effort to improve his pronunciation"
  6. Yo me esforzaría por aprender español si tuviera más tiempo — "I would make an effort to learn Spanish if I had more time"
  7. Él se ha esforzado por llegar a tiempo — "He has made an effort to arrive on time"
  8. Espero que él se esfuerce por entender la lección — "I hope he makes an effort to understand the lesson"
  9. 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"
  10. Ellos se esforzaban por mejorar su pronunciación cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to make an effort to improve his pronunciation when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo esfuerzo por aprender español. — Right: Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español. — esforzarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.
  2. Wrong: Yo me esforzaro por llegar a tiempo. — Right: Yo me esfuerzo por llegar a tiempo. — 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.
  3. Wrong: Espero que él se esfuerza por llegar a tiempo — Right: Espero que él se esfuerce por llegar a tiempo — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él se esfuerce por llegar a tiempo — not the indicative Espero que él se esfuerza por llegar a tiempo.
  4. Wrong: Ayer, yo me esfuerzo por entender la lección — Right: Ayer, yo me esforcé por entender la lección — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me esforcé por entender la lección.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo me esforcé al máximo en el examen todos los días — Right: De niño, yo me esforzaba al máximo en el examen todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo me esforzaba al máximo en el examen todos los días.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  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: Él ______ por llegar a tiempo — "He made an effort to arrive on time" (preterite) A. me esforcé B. te esforzaste C. nos esforzamos D. se esforzó

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ al máximo en el examen — "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: Espero que él ______ por aprender español — "I hope he makes an effort to learn Spanish" (present subjunctive) A. nos esforcemos B. se esfuerce C. me esfuerce D. te esfuerces

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ por llegar a tiempo, todo cambiaría — "If I made an effort to arrive on time, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. te esforzaras B. se esforzara C. nos esforzáramos D. me esforzara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ por entender la lección — "We have made an effort to understand the lesson" (present perfect) A. me he esforzado B. te has esforzado C. se ha esforzado D. nos hemos esforzado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ al máximo en el examen. — "Do not make an effort to the utmost in the exam." (negative imperative) A. nos esforcemos B. os esforcéis C. te esfuerces D. se esfuerce

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

Answer key

  1. me esfuerzo — The present form for yo is me esfuerzo.
  2. se esforzó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is se esforzó.
  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 esfuerce — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is se esfuerce.
  7. me esforzara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is me esforzara.
  8. nos hemos esforzado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is nos hemos esforzado.
  9. te esfuerces — The negative imperative form is te esfuerces.
  10. esforzando — The gerund of esforzarse is esforzando: estoy esforzando. The participle esforzado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does esforzarse mean in English?

esforzarse means to make an effort. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. 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 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 I say "I make an effort" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo me esforcé por llegar a tiempo — "Yesterday, I made an effort to arrive on time". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo me esforzaba por entender la lección — "As a child, I used to make an effort to understand the lesson". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo me he esforzado por llegar a tiempo — "Today, I have made an effort to arrive on time".

What is the difference between esforzarse and intentar?

Intentar is simply to try something once. Esforzarse stresses the effort itself — you put energy into it, often over time. 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.

Is esforzarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. esforzarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Yo me esfuerzo por aprender español — "I make an effort to learn Spanish". If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

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