Gemir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

gemir means "to groan, to moan" 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. Gemir means to groan or moan, from pain, pleasure or despair: gemir de dolor, gemir de placer. It takes de before the cause of the groan. 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 gemir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the gemir present tense page.

gemir 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 gimo de dolor en el hospital — "I groan with pain in hospital"
  2. Mi amigo gime toda la noche por la fiebre — "My friend groans all night with the fever"
  3. Mañana, tú gemirás de placer al comer — "Tomorrow, you will groan with pleasure while eating"
  4. Yo gemiría bajo el peso de la carga si pudiera — "I would groan under the weight of the load 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 gemí de dolor en el hospital — "Yesterday, I groaned with pain in hospital"
  2. Antes, nosotros gemíamos toda la noche por la fiebre — "Before, we used to groan all night with the fever"
  3. Él ha gemido de placer al comer — "He has groaned with pleasure while eating"
  4. Yo ya había gemido bajo el peso de la carga antes de salir — "I already had groaned under the weight of the load 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 gima de dolor en el hospital — "I hope he groans with pain in hospital"
  2. Si yo gimiera toda la noche por la fiebre, todo cambiaría — "If I groaned all night with the fever, everything would change"
  3. Gime de placer al comer. — "Groan with pleasure while eating."
  4. Yo habría gemido bajo el peso de la carga con más tiempo — "I would have groaned under the weight of the load with more time"

gemir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use gemir 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 gimo de dolor en el hospital — "I groan with pain in hospital"
  • Marcos: Él gime toda la noche por la fiebre — "He groans all night with the fever"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo gemí de placer al comer — "Yesterday, I groaned with pleasure while eating"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú gemirás bajo el peso de la carga — "Tomorrow, you will groan under the weight of the load"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Gime de desesperación en la celda. — "Groan in despair in the cell."
  • Lucía: Él ha gemido de dolor en el hospital — "He has groaned with pain in hospital"
  • Marcos: Espero que él gima toda la noche por la fiebre — "I hope he groans all night with the fever"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo gemía de placer al comer — "Before, I used to groan with pleasure while eating"

Common mistakes with gemir

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

✗ *Yo gemo bajo el peso de la carga.

✓ Correct: Yo gimo bajo el peso de la carga.

gemir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is gimo, not gemo.

✗ *Espero que él gime bajo el peso de la carga

✓ Correct: Espero que él gima bajo el peso de la carga

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él gima bajo el peso de la carga — not the indicative Espero que él gime bajo el peso de la carga.

✗ *Ayer, yo gimo de desesperación en la celda

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo gemí de desesperación en la celda

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo gemí de desesperación en la celda.

✗ *De niño, yo gemí de dolor en el hospital todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo gemía de dolor en el hospital todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo gemía de dolor en el hospital todos los días.

✗ *Yo gimo placer al comer.

✓ Correct: Yo gimo de placer al comer.

gemir takes de before this complement: Yo gimo de placer al comer. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: gemir in use

Ten questions on gemir — 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 ______ de dolor en el hospital — "I groan with pain in hospital" (present) A. gimes B. gime C. gemimos D. gimo

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ toda la noche por la fiebre — "Yesterday, I groaned all night with the fever" (preterite) A. gemiste B. gimió C. gemimos D. gemí

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ de placer al comer — "Before, we used to groan with pleasure while eating" (imperfect) A. gemíamos B. gemía C. gemías D. gemíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ bajo el peso de la carga — "Tomorrow, you will groan under the weight of the load" (future) A. gemirá B. gemiremos C. gemirás D. gemiré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de desesperación en la celda — "I would groan in despair in the cell" (conditional) A. gemirías B. gemiríamos C. gemiríais D. gemiría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de dolor en el hospital — "He has groaned with pain in hospital" (present perfect) A. ha gemido B. he gemido C. has gemido D. hemos gemido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ toda la noche por la fiebre — "I hope he groans all night with the fever" (present subjunctive) A. gimamos B. gimáis C. gima D. gimas

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ de placer al comer. — "Groan with pleasure while eating." (affirmative imperative) A. gime B. gima C. gimamos D. gemid

  9. Which is the gerund of gemir, used with estar for the progressive? A. gimo B. gemí C. gimiendo D. gemido

  10. What does gemir mean in English? A. to groan B. to complain C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. gimo — The present form for yo is gimo.
  2. gemí — The preterite form for yo is gemí.
  3. gemíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is gemíamos.
  4. gemirás — The future form for tú is gemirás.
  5. gemiría — The conditional form for yo is gemiría.
  6. ha gemido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha gemido.
  7. gima — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is gima.
  8. gime — The affirmative imperative form is gime.
  9. gimiendo — The gerund of gemir is gimiendo: estoy gimiendo. The participle gemido is used with haber instead.
  10. to groan — gemir means to groan.

Frequently asked questions

What does gemir mean in English?

gemir means to groan, to moan. For example: Yo gimo de dolor en el hospital — "I groan with pain in hospital". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with gemir?

gemir takes de 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 gemir.

Is gemir regular?

No. gemir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: gimo, gimes, gime and gimen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: gemimos, gemís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: gimió, gimieron, and the gerund is gimiendo.

How do I practise gemir?

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.

Related links