Sobrevivir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of sobrevivir — “to survive” 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 sobrevivir 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. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera. — “I survive the road accident.”
Present tense conjugation table: sobrevivir
Every person of sobrevivir in the present tense. The gerund is sobreviviendo and the past participle is sobrevivido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sobrevivo |
| tú | sobrevives |
| él/ella/Ud. | sobrevive |
| nosotros/as | sobrevivimos |
| vosotros/as | sobrevivís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sobreviven |
The gerund is sobreviviendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy sobreviviendo” means the action of sobrevivir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is sobrevivido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he sobrevivido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how sobrevivir is used.
How the present of sobrevivir is formed
The present of sobrevivir is built from the stem sobreviv plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | sobrevivo |
| tú | -es | sobrevives |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | sobrevive |
| nosotros/as | -imos | sobrevivimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | sobrevivís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | sobreviven |
sobrevivir is a regular -ir verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is sobreviv and the endings are the normal -ir endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of sobrevivir is sobreviviendo and the past participle is sobrevivido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of sobrevivir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sobrevivir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of sobrevivir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and sobrevivir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” — I survive the road accident.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what sobrevivir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Sobrevive a la crisis económica.” — He/she survives the economic crisis.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Sobrevivo sin agua en el desierto.” — I survive without water in the desert.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and sobrevivir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros sobrevivimos al invierno en la montaña.” — Tomorrow, we survive the winter in the mountains.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Sobrevives a la crisis económica?” — Do you survive the economic crisis?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” — I survive the road accident.
Preterite: “Sobreviví al accidente en la carretera.” — I survived the road accident.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Sobrevive a la crisis económica.” — He/she survives the economic crisis.
Preterite: “Sobrevivió a la crisis económica.” — He/she survived the economic crisis.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Sobrevivimos sin agua en el desierto.” — We survive without water in the desert.
Preterite: “Sobrevivimos sin agua en el desierto.” — We survived without water in the desert.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: sobrevivir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” — I survive the road accident.
“Sobrevives a la crisis económica.” — You survive the economic crisis.
“Sobrevive sin agua en el desierto.” — He/she survives without water in the desert.
“Sobrevivimos al invierno en la montaña.” — We survive the winter in the mountains.
“Sobrevivís al accidente en la carretera.” — You survive the road accident.
“Sobreviven a la crisis económica.” — They survive the economic crisis.
“Sobrevivo sin agua en el desierto.” — I survive without water in the desert.
“Sobrevive al invierno en la montaña.” — He/she survives the winter in the mountains.
Common mistakes with sobrevivir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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: Yo needs the yo form sobrevivo. The form sobrevive belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo sobrevivir a la crisis económica.” Right: “Yo sobrevivo a la crisis económica.” Why: The infinitive sobrevivir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving sobrevivo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sobrevivo a la crisis económica.” Right: “Ayer yo sobreviví a la crisis económica.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to sobreviví.
Wrong: “Ellos sobrevive a la crisis económica.” Right: “Ellos sobreviven a la crisis económica.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form sobreviven. The singular sobrevive belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: sobrevivir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ al accidente en la carretera.”
- (a) sobrevivo
- (b) sobrevives
- (c) sobrevive
Answer: sobrevivo — The yo form of sobrevivir in the present is sobrevivo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ a la crisis económica.”
- (a) sobrevivo
- (b) sobrevive
- (c) sobrevives
Answer: sobrevives — The tú form of sobrevivir in the present is sobrevives.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ sin agua en el desierto.”
- (a) sobrevives
- (b) sobrevive
- (c) sobrevivo
Answer: sobrevive — The él/ella form of sobrevivir in the present is sobrevive.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ al invierno en la montaña.”
- (a) sobrevivimos
- (b) sobrevivo
- (c) sobrevives
Answer: sobrevivimos — The nosotros/as form of sobrevivir in the present is sobrevivimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ al accidente en la carretera.”
- (a) sobrevivo
- (b) sobrevives
- (c) sobrevivís
Answer: sobrevivís — The vosotros/as form of sobrevivir in the present is sobrevivís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ a la crisis económica.”
- (a) sobrevives
- (b) sobreviven
- (c) sobrevivo
Answer: sobreviven — The ellos/ellas form of sobrevivir in the present is sobreviven.
7. What does sobrevivir mean in English?
- (a) to survive
- (b) to live
- (c) to be about
Answer: to survive — Sobrevivir means to survive.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Sobreviví al accidente en la carretera.
- (b) Sobreviviré al accidente en la carretera.
- (c) Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.
Answer: Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera. — “Sobrevivo al accidente en la carretera.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is sobrevivir regular in the present?
Yes. Sobrevivir is regular in the present: sobrevivo, sobrevives, sobrevive, sobrevivimos, sobrevivís and sobreviven. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of sobrevivir?
The gerund is sobreviviendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy sobreviviendo. The past participle is sobrevivido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he sobrevivido.
What should I watch out for with sobrevivir?
Sobrevivir takes a: sobrevivo al accidente. It is fully regular: sobreviví, sobrevivía, sobreviviré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is sobrevivo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise sobrevivir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the sobrevivir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sobrevivir — every tense of sobrevivir in one place.
- Sobrevivir examples and quiz — more sentences with sobrevivir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on sobrevivir and other verbs.