Introduction
Sobrevivir means “to survive”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Sobrevivir means to survive, and it is used for surviving an accident, a war, a crisis and a hard winter: sobrevivir al accidente, sobrevivir a la crisis. It takes a for what is survived. It is a regular -ir verb. This page shows sobrevivir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” — I survive the road accident.
Sobrevivir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how sobrevivir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use sobrevivir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” — I survive the road accident.
“¿Sobrevives a la crisis económica?” — Do you survive the economic crisis?
“Sobrevive sin agua en el desierto.” — He/she survives without water in the desert.
“Nosotros sobrevivimos al invierno en la montaña.” — We survive the winter in the mountains.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show sobrevivir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo sobreviví al accidente en la carretera.” — Yesterday, I survived the road accident. (preterite)
“Antes, él sobrevivía a la crisis económica.” — Before, he used to survive the economic crisis. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of sobrevivir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros sobreviviremos sin agua en el desierto.” — Tomorrow, we will survive without water in the desert. (future)
“¿Tú has sobrevivido al invierno en la montaña?” — Have you survived the winter in the mountains? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros sobrevivís al accidente en la carretera.” — You survive the road accident.
“Ellos sobreviven a la crisis económica.” — They survive the economic crisis.
“Yo sobrevivo sin agua en el desierto.” — I survive without water in the desert.
“Mi padre sobrevive al invierno en la montaña.” — My father survives the winter in the mountains.
Sobrevivir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how sobrevivir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú sobrevives a la crisis económica?” — Do you survive the economic crisis?
Pedro: “Sí, yo sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” — Yes, I survive the road accident.
Marta: “Nosotros sobrevivimos al invierno en la montaña.” — We survive the winter in the mountains.
Pedro: “Y ellos sobreviven a la crisis económica.” — And they survive the economic crisis.
Marta: “Vosotros sobrevivís sin agua en el desierto.” — You survive without water in the desert.
Pedro: “Sí, y él sobrevive al accidente en la carretera.” — Yes, and he survives the road accident.
A short paragraph
Sobrevive al accidente en la carretera, y nosotros sobrevivimos al invierno en la montaña. Yo sobrevivo a la crisis económica, y ellos sobreviven sin agua en el desierto. Sobrevivir is part of everyday life, because survive is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with sobrevivir
These are the errors learners actually make with sobrevivir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo sobrevive al accidente en la carretera.” Right: “Yo sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” Why: The person matters: sobrevive is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is sobrevivo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sobrevivo a la crisis económica.” Right: “Ayer yo sobreviví a la crisis económica.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: sobrevivo is happening now, while sobreviví is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating sobrevivir and vivir as identical in every context.” Right: “Sobrevivir means to survive, while vivir means to live.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: sobrevivir fits sentences such as Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera, while vivir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy sobrevivido a la crisis económica.” Right: “Yo he sobrevivido a la crisis económica.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sobrevivido, has sobrevivido, ha sobrevivido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo sobreviví sin agua en el desierto todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo sobrevivía sin agua en el desierto todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sobrevivía), not the preterite. The preterite (sobreviví) is for one finished action.
Quiz: sobrevivir in use
Ten questions on sobrevivir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ al accidente en la carretera.” (You survive the road accident.)
- (a) sobrevivís
- (b) sobrevivo
- (c) sobrevives
Answer: sobrevivís — The vosotros/as form of sobrevivir in the present tense is sobrevivís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a la crisis económica.” (They survive the economic crisis.)
- (a) sobrevives
- (b) sobreviven
- (c) sobrevivo
Answer: sobreviven — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of sobrevivir in the present tense is sobreviven.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ al accidente en la carretera.” (Yesterday I survived the road accident.)
- (a) sobreviviste
- (b) sobrevivió
- (c) sobreviví
Answer: sobreviví — In the preterite, the yo form of sobrevivir is sobreviví.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ a la crisis económica.” (Before, he used to survive the economic crisis.)
- (a) sobrevivía
- (b) sobrevivo
- (c) sobrevivías
Answer: sobrevivía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of sobrevivir is sobrevivía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ sin agua en el desierto.” (Tomorrow we will survive without water in the desert.)
- (a) sobrevivirás
- (b) sobreviviremos
- (c) sobreviviré
Answer: sobreviviremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of sobrevivir is sobreviviremos.
6. What does sobrevivir mean in English?
- (a) to survive
- (b) to suppress, to delete
- (c) to live
Answer: to survive — Sobrevivir means “to survive”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo sobrevive al accidente en la carretera.
- (b) Ellos sobrevive a la crisis económica.
- (c) Yo sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.
Answer: Yo sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera. — “Yo sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I survive the road accident.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre sobrevive al invierno en la montaña.
- (b) Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.
- (c) Sobreviven al accidente en la carretera.
Answer: Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera. — “Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of sobrevivir in the present tense?
- (a) sobrevivo
- (b) sobrevives
- (c) sobrevivimos
Answer: sobrevivimos — The nosotros form is sobrevivimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros sobreviviremos sin agua en el desierto.
- (b) Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.
- (c) Ayer, yo sobreviví al accidente en la carretera.
Answer: Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera. — “Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I survive the road accident' in Spanish?
Say 'Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera todos los días'.
How do you say 'He survives the economic crisis' in Spanish?
Say 'Él sobrevive a la crisis económica'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes sobrevive.
What is the difference between sobrevivir and vivir?
Sobrevivir means to survive, while vivir means to live. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use sobrevivir when you mean to survive, as in 'Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera', and use vivir for to live.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sobrevivir — every tense of sobrevivir in one place.
- Sobrevivir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on sobrevivir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of sobrevivir until they are automatic.