Padecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

padecer means to suffer from, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a spelling-changing -er verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo padezco todos los días» — I suffer from every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use padecer the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Padecer in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where padecer lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo padezco todos los días. — I suffer from every day.
  2. Tú padeces en el trabajo. — You suffer from at work.
  3. Él padece con mi familia. — He suffers from with my family.
  4. Nosotros padecemos por la mañana. — We suffer from in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo padecí por la tarde. — Yesterday I sufferred from in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo padecía todos los días. — In the past, I used to suffer from every day.
  3. La semana pasada él padeció dos veces. — Last week He sufferred from twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo padeceré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will suffer from without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo padecería ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would suffer from right now.
  3. Hoy yo he padecido dos veces. — Today I have sufferred from twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú padezcas pronto. — I hope You suffer from soon.
  2. ¡padece, por favor! — Suffer from, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy padeciendo. — Right now I am sufferring from.

Padecer in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo padezco en el trabajo.» — I suffer from at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo padezco con mi familia.» — I suffer from with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo padeceré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will suffer from without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo padecería ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would suffer from right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he padecido dos veces.» — Today I have sufferred from twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo padecí por la tarde. Antes, yo padecía todos los días. Hoy yo he padecido dos veces. Mañana yo padeceré sin falta.

Yesterday I sufferred from in the afternoon. In the past, I used to suffer from every day. Today I have sufferred from twice. Tomorrow I will suffer from without fail.

Common mistakes with padecer

1. Missing the spelling change in the present indicative

Wrong: Yo padeco.

Right: Yo padezco.

The spelling changes so the pronunciation stays the same: the yo form in the present indicative is padezco, not padeco. The endings are regular — only the spelling of the stem-final letter adjusts before e and i.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo padecía.

Right: Ayer yo padecí.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, padecí. The imperfect padecía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú padeces.

Right: Espero que tú padezcas.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: padezcas, not the indicative padeces. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No padece.

Right: No padezcas.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no padezcas. The affirmative padece can never follow no.

5. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo padecer todos los días.

Right: Yo padezco todos los días.

The infinitive padecer names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo padezco.

Quiz: padecer in use

Test yourself on padecer in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the vosotros/as form of padecer in the present indicative?

- (a) padece
- (b) padeces
- (c) padezco
- (d) padecéis

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of padecer in the preterite?

- (a) padeció
- (b) padecí
- (c) padeciste
- (d) padecieron

3. What is the yo form of padecer in the future?

- (a) padeceré
- (b) padeceremos
- (c) padecerás
- (d) padecerá

4. What is the tú form of padecer in the present perfect?

- (a) hemos padecido
- (b) has padecido
- (c) he padecido
- (d) ha padecido

5. What is the vosotros/as form of padecer in the imperfect?

- (a) padecíais
- (b) padecías
- (c) padecía
- (d) padecía

6. What is the gerund of padecer?

- (a) padecer
- (b) padezco
- (c) padecido
- (d) padeciendo

7. What is the past participle of padecer?

- (a) padecer
- (b) padecido
- (c) padecí
- (d) padeciendo

8. Which sentence uses padecer correctly?

- (a) *Yo padezco todos los días.* — I suffer from every day.
- (b) *Yo padecer todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo padece todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo padeces todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses padecer correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo padecía por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo padecer por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo padezco por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo padecí por la tarde.* — Yesterday I sufferred from in the afternoon.

10. What does padecer mean?

- (a) to agree
- (b) to feel
- (c) to originate
- (d) to suffer from

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of padecer is padecéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of padecer is padecieron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the yo form of padecer is padeceré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present perfect, the tú form of padecer is has padecido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of padecer is padecíais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — The gerund of padecer is padeciendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy padeciendo». 7. (b) — The past participle of padecer is padecido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he padecido». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of padecer; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of padecer; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (d) — padecer means «to suffer from».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I suffer from' in Spanish?

Say «Yo padezco todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I sufferred from' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo padecí por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is padecer reflexive?

No — padecer is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo padezco, tú padeces, él padece. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with padecer?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (padecí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (padecía) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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