Introduction
Sudar means “to sweat”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Sudar means to sweat, and it is used for sweating in the heat, in exercise and from nerves: sudar en el gimnasio, sudar de miedo. It is a fully regular -ar verb. This page shows sudar 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: “Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” — I sweat a lot in the gym.
Sudar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how sudar 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 sudar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” — I sweat a lot in the gym.
“¿Sudas con el calor del verano?” — Do you sweat with the summer heat?
“Suda de miedo antes del examen.” — He/she sweats with fear before the exam.
“Nosotros sudamos toda la noche con fiebre.” — We sweat all night with a fever.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show sudar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo sudé mucho en el gimnasio.” — Yesterday, I sweated a lot in the gym. (preterite)
“Antes, él sudaba con el calor del verano.” — Before, he used to sweat with the summer heat. (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 sudar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros sudaremos de miedo antes del examen.” — Tomorrow, we will sweat with fear before the exam. (future)
“¿Tú has sudado toda la noche con fiebre?” — Have you sweated all night with a fever? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros sudáis mucho en el gimnasio.” — You sweat a lot in the gym.
“Ellos sudan con el calor del verano.” — They sweat with the summer heat.
“Yo sudo de miedo antes del examen.” — I sweat with fear before the exam.
“Mi padre suda toda la noche con fiebre.” — My father sweats all night with a fever.
Sudar 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 sudar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú sudas con el calor del verano?” — Do you sweat with the summer heat?
Pedro: “Sí, yo sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” — Yes, I sweat a lot in the gym.
Marta: “Nosotros sudamos toda la noche con fiebre.” — We sweat all night with a fever.
Pedro: “Y ellos sudan con el calor del verano.” — And they sweat with the summer heat.
Marta: “Vosotros sudáis de miedo antes del examen.” — You sweat with fear before the exam.
Pedro: “Sí, y él suda mucho en el gimnasio.” — Yes, and he sweats a lot in the gym.
A short paragraph
Suda mucho en el gimnasio, y nosotros sudamos toda la noche con fiebre. Yo sudo con el calor del verano, y ellos sudan de miedo antes del examen. Sudar is part of everyday life, because sweat is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with sudar
These are the errors learners actually make with sudar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo suda mucho en el gimnasio.” Right: “Yo sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” Why: The person matters: suda is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is sudo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sudo con el calor del verano.” Right: “Ayer yo sudé con el calor del verano.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: sudo is happening now, while sudé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating sudar and transpirar as identical in every context.” Right: “Sudar means to sweat, while transpirar means to perspire.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: sudar fits sentences such as Sudo mucho en el gimnasio, while transpirar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy sudado con el calor del verano.” Right: “Yo he sudado con el calor del verano.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sudado, has sudado, ha sudado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo sudé de miedo antes del examen todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo sudaba de miedo antes del examen todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sudaba), not the preterite. The preterite (sudé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: sudar in use
Ten questions on sudar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ mucho en el gimnasio.” (You sweat a lot in the gym.)
- (a) sudáis
- (b) sudo
- (c) sudas
Answer: sudáis — The vosotros/as form of sudar in the present tense is sudáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ con el calor del verano.” (They sweat with the summer heat.)
- (a) sudas
- (b) sudan
- (c) sudo
Answer: sudan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of sudar in the present tense is sudan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ mucho en el gimnasio.” (Yesterday I sweated a lot in the gym.)
- (a) sudaste
- (b) sudó
- (c) sudé
Answer: sudé — In the preterite, the yo form of sudar is sudé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ con el calor del verano.” (Before, he used to sweat with the summer heat.)
- (a) sudaba
- (b) sudo
- (c) sudabas
Answer: sudaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of sudar is sudaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ de miedo antes del examen.” (Tomorrow we will sweat with fear before the exam.)
- (a) sudarás
- (b) sudaremos
- (c) sudaré
Answer: sudaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of sudar is sudaremos.
6. What does sudar mean in English?
- (a) to sweat
- (b) to soften
- (c) to perspire
Answer: to sweat — Sudar means “to sweat”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo suda mucho en el gimnasio.
- (b) Ellos suda con el calor del verano.
- (c) Yo sudo mucho en el gimnasio.
Answer: Yo sudo mucho en el gimnasio. — “Yo sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I sweat a lot in the gym.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre suda toda la noche con fiebre.
- (b) Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.
- (c) Sudan mucho en el gimnasio.
Answer: Sudo mucho en el gimnasio. — “Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of sudar in the present tense?
- (a) sudo
- (b) sudas
- (c) sudamos
Answer: sudamos — The nosotros form is sudamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros sudaremos de miedo antes del examen.
- (b) Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.
- (c) Ayer, yo sudé mucho en el gimnasio.
Answer: Sudo mucho en el gimnasio. — “Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I sweat a lot in the gym' in Spanish?
Say 'Sudo mucho en el gimnasio'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Sudo mucho en el gimnasio todos los días'.
How do you say 'He sweats with the summer heat' in Spanish?
Say 'Él suda con el calor del verano'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes suda.
What is the difference between sudar and transpirar?
Sudar means to sweat, while transpirar means to perspire. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use sudar when you mean to sweat, as in 'Sudo mucho en el gimnasio', and use transpirar for to perspire.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sudar — every tense of sudar in one place.
- Sudar 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 sudar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of sudar until they are automatic.