Sufrir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of sufrir — “to suffer” 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 sufrir 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. Sufrir means to suffer, and it covers suffering an illness, a loss, heat and a defeat: sufrir una enfermedad, sufrir una derrota. It takes a direct object for what is suffered, and it is a regular -ir verb. To see it in a real sentence: Sufro una enfermedad grave. — “I suffer a serious illness.”
Present tense conjugation table: sufrir
Every person of sufrir in the present tense. The gerund is sufriendo and the past participle is sufrido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sufro |
| tú | sufres |
| él/ella/Ud. | sufre |
| nosotros/as | sufrimos |
| vosotros/as | sufrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sufren |
The gerund is sufriendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy sufriendo” means the action of sufrir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is sufrido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he sufrido” 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 sufrir is used.
How the present of sufrir is formed
The present of sufrir is built from the stem sufr 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 | sufro |
| tú | -es | sufres |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | sufre |
| nosotros/as | -imos | sufrimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | sufrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | sufren |
sufrir is a regular -ir verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is sufr 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 sufrir is sufriendo and the past participle is sufrido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of sufrir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sufrir 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 sufrir 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 sufrir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Sufro una enfermedad grave.” — I suffer a serious illness.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what sufrir 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: “Sufre mucho con el calor.” — He/she suffers a lot with the 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: “Sufro una derrota en la final.” — I suffer a defeat in the final.
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 sufrir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros sufrimos la pérdida de su madre.” — Tomorrow, we suffer the loss of his mother.
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: “¿Sufres mucho con el calor?” — Do you suffer a lot with the 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: “Sufro una enfermedad grave.” — I suffer a serious illness.
Preterite: “Sufrí una enfermedad grave.” — I suffered a serious illness.
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: “Sufre mucho con el calor.” — He/she suffers a lot with the heat.
Preterite: “Sufrió mucho con el calor.” — He/she suffered a lot with the 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: “Sufrimos una derrota en la final.” — We suffer a defeat in the final.
Preterite: “Sufrimos una derrota en la final.” — We suffered a defeat in the final.
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: sufrir 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.
“Sufro una enfermedad grave.” — I suffer a serious illness.
“Sufres mucho con el calor.” — You suffer a lot with the heat.
“Sufre una derrota en la final.” — He/she suffers a defeat in the final.
“Sufrimos la pérdida de su madre.” — We suffer the loss of his mother.
“Sufrís una enfermedad grave.” — You suffer a serious illness.
“Sufren mucho con el calor.” — They suffer a lot with the heat.
“Sufro una derrota en la final.” — I suffer a defeat in the final.
“Sufre la pérdida de su madre.” — He/she suffers the loss of his mother.
Common mistakes with sufrir 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 sufre una enfermedad grave.” Right: “Yo sufro una enfermedad grave.” Why: Yo needs the yo form sufro. The form sufre belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo sufrir mucho con el calor.” Right: “Yo sufro mucho con el calor.” Why: The infinitive sufrir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving sufro.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sufro mucho con el calor.” Right: “Ayer yo sufrí mucho con el calor.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to sufrí.
Wrong: “Ellos sufre mucho con el calor.” Right: “Ellos sufren mucho con el calor.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form sufren. The singular sufre belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: sufrir 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 ___ una enfermedad grave.”
- (a) sufro
- (b) sufres
- (c) sufre
Answer: sufro — The yo form of sufrir in the present is sufro.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ mucho con el calor.”
- (a) sufro
- (b) sufre
- (c) sufres
Answer: sufres — The tú form of sufrir in the present is sufres.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ una derrota en la final.”
- (a) sufres
- (b) sufre
- (c) sufro
Answer: sufre — The él/ella form of sufrir in the present is sufre.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ la pérdida de su madre.”
- (a) sufrimos
- (b) sufro
- (c) sufres
Answer: sufrimos — The nosotros/as form of sufrir in the present is sufrimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ una enfermedad grave.”
- (a) sufro
- (b) sufres
- (c) sufrís
Answer: sufrís — The vosotros/as form of sufrir in the present is sufrís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ mucho con el calor.”
- (a) sufres
- (b) sufren
- (c) sufro
Answer: sufren — The ellos/ellas form of sufrir in the present is sufren.
7. What does sufrir mean in English?
- (a) to suffer
- (b) to suffer, more formal
- (c) to be about
Answer: to suffer — Sufrir means to suffer.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Sufrí una enfermedad grave.
- (b) Sufriré una enfermedad grave.
- (c) Sufro una enfermedad grave.
Answer: Sufro una enfermedad grave. — “Sufro una enfermedad grave.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is sufrir regular in the present?
Yes. Sufrir is regular in the present: sufro, sufres, sufre, sufrimos, sufrís and sufren. 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 sufrir?
The gerund is sufriendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy sufriendo. The past participle is sufrido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he sufrido.
What should I watch out for with sufrir?
Sufrir is regular: sufrí, sufría, sufriré. Sufrir de is to suffer from an illness: sufro de asma. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is sufro, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise sufrir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the sufrir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sufrir — every tense of sufrir in one place.
- Sufrir examples and quiz — more sentences with sufrir 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 sufrir and other verbs.