Sudar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of sudar — “to sweat” 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 sudar 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. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Sudo mucho en el gimnasio. — “I sweat a lot in the gym.”
Present tense conjugation table: sudar
Every person of sudar in the present tense. The gerund is sudando and the past participle is sudado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sudo |
| tú | sudas |
| él/ella/Ud. | suda |
| nosotros/as | sudamos |
| vosotros/as | sudáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sudan |
The gerund is sudando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy sudando” means the action of sudar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is sudado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he sudado” 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 sudar is used.
How the present of sudar is formed
The present of sudar is built from the stem sud plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar 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 | sudo |
| tú | -as | sudas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | suda |
| nosotros/as | -amos | sudamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | sudáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | sudan |
sudar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is sud and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of sudar is sudando and the past participle is sudado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of sudar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sudar 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 sudar 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 sudar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” — I sweat a lot in the gym.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what sudar 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: “Suda con el calor del verano.” — He/she sweats with the summer heat.
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: “Sudo de miedo antes del examen.” — I sweat with fear before the exam.
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 sudar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros sudamos toda la noche con fiebre.” — Tomorrow, we sweat all night with a fever.
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: “¿Sudas con el calor del verano?” — Do you sweat with the summer heat?
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: “Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” — I sweat a lot in the gym.
Preterite: “Sudé mucho en el gimnasio.” — I sweated a lot in the gym.
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: “Suda con el calor del verano.” — He/she sweats with the summer heat.
Preterite: “Sudó con el calor del verano.” — He/she sweated with the summer heat.
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: “Sudamos de miedo antes del examen.” — We sweat with fear before the exam.
Preterite: “Sudamos de miedo antes del examen.” — We sweated with fear before the exam.
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: sudar 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.
“Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” — I sweat a lot in the gym.
“Sudas con el calor del verano.” — You sweat with the summer heat.
“Suda de miedo antes del examen.” — He/she sweats with fear before the exam.
“Sudamos toda la noche con fiebre.” — We sweat all night with a fever.
“Sudáis mucho en el gimnasio.” — You sweat a lot in the gym.
“Sudan con el calor del verano.” — They sweat with the summer heat.
“Sudo de miedo antes del examen.” — I sweat with fear before the exam.
“Suda toda la noche con fiebre.” — He/she sweats all night with a fever.
Common mistakes with sudar 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 suda mucho en el gimnasio.” Right: “Yo sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” Why: Yo needs the yo form sudo. The form suda belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo sudar con el calor del verano.” Right: “Yo sudo con el calor del verano.” Why: The infinitive sudar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving sudo.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sudo con el calor del verano.” Right: “Ayer yo sudé con el calor del verano.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to sudé.
Wrong: “Ellos suda con el calor del verano.” Right: “Ellos sudan con el calor del verano.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form sudan. The singular suda belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: sudar 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 ___ mucho en el gimnasio.”
- (a) sudo
- (b) sudas
- (c) suda
Answer: sudo — The yo form of sudar in the present is sudo.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ con el calor del verano.”
- (a) sudo
- (b) suda
- (c) sudas
Answer: sudas — The tú form of sudar in the present is sudas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ de miedo antes del examen.”
- (a) sudas
- (b) suda
- (c) sudo
Answer: suda — The él/ella form of sudar in the present is suda.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ toda la noche con fiebre.”
- (a) sudamos
- (b) sudo
- (c) sudas
Answer: sudamos — The nosotros/as form of sudar in the present is sudamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ mucho en el gimnasio.”
- (a) sudo
- (b) sudas
- (c) sudáis
Answer: sudáis — The vosotros/as form of sudar in the present is sudáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ con el calor del verano.”
- (a) sudas
- (b) sudan
- (c) sudo
Answer: sudan — The ellos/ellas form of sudar in the present is sudan.
7. What does sudar mean in English?
- (a) to sweat
- (b) to perspire
- (c) to be about
Answer: to sweat — Sudar means to sweat.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Sudé mucho en el gimnasio.
- (b) Sudaré mucho en el gimnasio.
- (c) Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.
Answer: Sudo mucho en el gimnasio. — “Sudo mucho en el gimnasio.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is sudar regular in the present?
Yes. Sudar is regular in the present: sudo, sudas, suda, sudamos, sudáis and sudan. 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 sudar?
The gerund is sudando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy sudando. The past participle is sudado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he sudado.
What should I watch out for with sudar?
Sudar is fully regular: sudé, sudaba, sudaré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is sudo, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise sudar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the sudar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sudar — every tense of sudar in one place.
- Sudar examples and quiz — more sentences with sudar 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 sudar and other verbs.