Sofreír Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb sofreír means to fry lightly, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Sofreír is an irregular -ir verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. It is irregular in the present indicative, preterite, present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive (-ra) and more, so the tables below are worth studying carefully. On this page you will find the full conjugation of sofreír in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo sofrío la cebolla — "I fry lightly the onion" — and in the preterite you say Yo sofreí el ajo en aceite — "I fried lightly the garlic in oil". 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.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: sofreír
- English: to fry lightly
- Verb type: irregular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: sofriendo
- Past participle: sofrito
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + sofrito)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sofreír, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for sofreír. 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.
Gerund: sofriendo · Past participle: sofrito
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sofrío |
| tú | sofríes |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofríe |
| nosotros/as | sofreímos |
| vosotros/as | sofreís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofríen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sofreí |
| tú | sofreíste |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofrió |
| nosotros/as | sofreímos |
| vosotros/as | sofreísteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofrieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sofreía |
| tú | sofreías |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofreía |
| nosotros/as | sofreíamos |
| vosotros/as | sofreíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofreían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sofreiré |
| tú | sofreirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofreirá |
| nosotros/as | sofreiremos |
| vosotros/as | sofreiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofreirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sofreiría |
| tú | sofreirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofreiría |
| nosotros/as | sofreiríamos |
| vosotros/as | sofreiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofreirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he sofrito |
| tú | has sofrito |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha sofrito |
| nosotros/as | hemos sofrito |
| vosotros/as | habéis sofrito |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han sofrito |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había sofrito |
| tú | habías sofrito |
| él/ella/Ud. | había sofrito |
| nosotros/as | habíamos sofrito |
| vosotros/as | habíais sofrito |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían sofrito |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré sofrito |
| tú | habrás sofrito |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá sofrito |
| nosotros/as | habremos sofrito |
| vosotros/as | habréis sofrito |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán sofrito |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría sofrito |
| tú | habrías sofrito |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría sofrito |
| nosotros/as | habríamos sofrito |
| vosotros/as | habríais sofrito |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían sofrito |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sofría |
| tú | sofrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofría |
| nosotros/as | sofriamos |
| vosotros/as | sofriáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofrían |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sofriera |
| tú | sofrieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofriera |
| nosotros/as | sofriéramos |
| vosotros/as | sofrierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofrieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | sofríe |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofría |
| nosotros/as | sofriamos |
| vosotros/as | sofreíd |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofrían |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | sofrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | sofría |
| nosotros/as | sofriamos |
| vosotros/as | sofriáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sofrían |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | sofriendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy sofriendo |
| Past participle | sofrito | with haber for the perfect tenses: he sofrito |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For sofreír, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sofrío el ajo en aceite — "I fry lightly the garlic in oil". Learn the present indicative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. Sofreír is a vowel-stem -ir verb: the unstressed e becomes i in the third-person preterite (sofrió), the gerund (sofriendo) and the past participle (sofrito).
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For sofreír, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sofreí las verduras — "I fried lightly the vegetables". Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. Sofreír is a vowel-stem -ir verb: the unstressed e becomes i in the third-person preterite (sofrió), the gerund (sofriendo) and the past participle (sofrito).
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For sofreír, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sofreía la cebolla — "I used to fry lightly the onion". Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For sofreír, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sofreiré el ajo en aceite — "I will fry lightly the garlic in oil". Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. Note the accent: the infinitive is sofreír, but the future is sofreiré — the accent moves from the stem vowel to the ending.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For sofreír, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo sofreiría las verduras — "I would fry lightly the vegetables". Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. Note the accent: the infinitive is sofreír, but the conditional is sofreiría — the accent moves from the stem vowel to the ending.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. It connects the past with the present moment. For sofreír, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he sofrito la cebolla — "I have fried lightly the onion". Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: sofrito, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses sofrito after haber.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For sofreír, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había sofrito el ajo en aceite — "I had fried lightly the garlic in oil". Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: sofrito, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses sofrito after haber.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For sofreír, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré sofrito las verduras — "I will have fried lightly the vegetables". Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: sofrito, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses sofrito after haber.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. It looks back at a past that never happened. For sofreír, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría sofrito la cebolla — "I would have fried lightly the onion". Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The past participle is irregular: sofrito, not the regular form, so every perfect tense uses sofrito after haber.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For sofreír, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él sofría el ajo en aceite — "I hope he fries lightly the garlic in oil". Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense. The only difference here is the written accent: sofriamos, sofriáis — the letters are the same, only the accent moves.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For sofreír, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo sofriera las verduras, todo cambiaría — "If I fried lightly the vegetables, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For sofreír, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Sofría la cebolla — "Let him fry lightly the onion". Learn the imperative (affirmative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For sofreír, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No sofrías el ajo en aceite — "Don't fry lightly the garlic in oil". Learn the imperative (negative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with sofreír, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo sofrío las verduras — "I fry lightly the vegetables"
- Él sofríe la cebolla — "He fries lightly the onion"
- Yo sofreí el ajo en aceite — "I fried lightly the garlic in oil"
- Yo sofreía las verduras — "I used to fry lightly the vegetables"
- Tú sofreirás la cebolla — "You will fry lightly the onion"
- Yo sofreiría el ajo en aceite — "I would fry lightly the garlic in oil"
- Él ha sofrito las verduras — "He has fried lightly the vegetables"
- Espero que él sofría la cebolla — "I hope he fries lightly the onion"
- Yo había sofrito el ajo en aceite — "I had fried lightly the garlic in oil"
- Ellos sofreían las verduras — "They used to fry lightly the vegetables"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos sofríe la cebolla — Right: Ellos sofríen la cebolla — Ellos needs the ellos form sofríen. The singular sofríe belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo sofrío — Right: Ayer, yo sofreí — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to sofreí.
- Wrong: De niño, yo sofreí todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo sofreía — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sofreía), not the preterite. The preterite (sofreí) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy sofrito el ajo en aceite. — Right: Yo he sofrito el ajo en aceite. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sofrito, has sofrito, ha sofrito. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él sofríe la cebolla. — Right: Espero que él sofría la cebolla. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: sofría. The indicative sofríe is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on sofreír. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cebolla. (present tense) A. habríamos sofrito B. has sofrito C. sofrío D. sofreirás
Complete the sentence: Él ___ la cebolla. (preterite) A. sofrió B. he sofrito C. habrás sofrito D. habíamos sofrito
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la cebolla. (imperfect) A. habrá sofrito B. sofreíamos C. sofrió D. habríamos sofrito
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la cebolla. (future) A. habréis sofrito B. sofreirás C. sofriera D. sofriéramos
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cebolla. (conditional) A. sofreíais B. sofrierais C. sofreiría D. sofrieron
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la cebolla. (present subjunctive) A. sofría B. sofreirían C. habéis sofrito D. sofreí
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la cebolla, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. sofría B. sofreías C. sofriera D. sofreí
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la cebolla. (present perfect) A. sofrierais B. hemos sofrito C. he sofrito D. habrá sofrito
Complete the command: No ___ la cebolla. (negative imperative, tú) A. sofriamos B. sofría C. sofrían D. sofrías
Which is the gerund of sofreír, used with estar for the progressive? A. sofrito B. sofrío C. sofreí D. sofriendo
Answer key
- sofrío — The yo present tense of sofreír is sofrío.
- sofrió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of sofreír is sofrió.
- sofreíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of sofreír is sofreíamos.
- sofreirás — The tú future of sofreír is sofreirás.
- sofreiría — The yo conditional of sofreír is sofreiría.
- sofría — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of sofreír is sofría.
- sofriera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of sofreír is sofriera.
- hemos sofrito — The nosotros/as present perfect of sofreír is hemos sofrito.
- sofrías — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: sofrías.
- sofriendo — The gerund of sofreír is sofriendo: estoy sofriendo. The participle sofrito is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does sofreír mean in English?
Sofreír means to fry lightly. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo sofrío la cebolla. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is sofreír irregular?
Yes, in some tenses. Sofreír is irregular in present indicative, preterite, present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive (-ra), gerund and others. The tables on this page give the exact forms, so learn the irregular tenses from the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
What is the gerund and the past participle of sofreír?
The gerund is sofriendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy sofriendo. The past participle is sofrito, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he sofrito.
How do I say “I fry lightly” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo sofreí el ajo en aceite. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo sofreía las verduras. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he sofrito la cebolla.
How do I practise sofreír?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the sofreír examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Sofreír in the present tense — the full present-tense table for sofreír.
- Sofreír examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for sofreír.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Spanish irregular verbs — every common irregular verb, grouped by pattern.
- Dimitir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with sofreír.
- Sacudir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with sofreír.
- Zambullirse conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with sofreír.
- Irregular Verb Finder — find irregular verbs and their patterns.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.