Surgir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb surgir means to arise, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Surgir means to arise or to come up, and it is used for problems, ideas, opportunities and doubts appearing suddenly: surgir un problema, surgir una idea. It is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so yo surjo and the subjunctive surja. Its subject is usually the thing that arises. Like every Spanish verb, surgir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Surge un problema en el trabajo, and in the preterite you say Surgió una idea en la reunión. 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: surgir
- English: to arise
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: surgiendo
- Past participle: surgido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + surgido)
- Pattern to learn: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for surgir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Surgir is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so yo surjo and the subjunctive surja. The subject is the thing that arises.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for surgir. 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.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | surjo |
| tú | surges |
| él/ella/Ud. | surge |
| nosotros/as | surgimos |
| vosotros/as | surgís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surgen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | surgí |
| tú | surgiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | surgió |
| nosotros/as | surgimos |
| vosotros/as | surgisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surgieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | surgía |
| tú | surgías |
| él/ella/Ud. | surgía |
| nosotros/as | surgíamos |
| vosotros/as | surgíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surgían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | surgiré |
| tú | surgirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | surgirá |
| nosotros/as | surgiremos |
| vosotros/as | surgiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surgirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | surgiría |
| tú | surgirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | surgiría |
| nosotros/as | surgiríamos |
| vosotros/as | surgiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surgirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he surgido |
| tú | has surgido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha surgido |
| nosotros/as | hemos surgido |
| vosotros/as | habéis surgido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han surgido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había surgido |
| tú | habías surgido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había surgido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos surgido |
| vosotros/as | habíais surgido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían surgido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré surgido |
| tú | habrás surgido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá surgido |
| nosotros/as | habremos surgido |
| vosotros/as | habréis surgido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán surgido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría surgido |
| tú | habrías surgido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría surgido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos surgido |
| vosotros/as | habríais surgido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían surgido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | surja |
| tú | surjas |
| él/ella/Ud. | surja |
| nosotros/as | surjamos |
| vosotros/as | surgáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surjan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | surgiera |
| tú | surgieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | surgiera |
| nosotros/as | surgiéramos |
| vosotros/as | surgierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surgieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | surge |
| él/ella/Ud. | surja |
| nosotros/as | surjamos |
| vosotros/as | surgid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surjan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | surjas |
| él/ella/Ud. | surja |
| nosotros/as | surjamos |
| vosotros/as | surgáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | surjan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | surgiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy surgiendo |
| Past participle | surgido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he surgido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja. For surgir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Surge un problema en el trabajo. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja. For surgir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, surgió una idea en la reunión. 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.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Antes, surgía una oportunidad única. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, surgirá una duda en el examen. 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.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Si lloviera, surgiría un problema en el trabajo. 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.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, ha surgido una idea en la reunión. 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.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Ya había surgido una oportunidad única. 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.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habrá surgido una duda en el examen. 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.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría surgido un problema en el trabajo. 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.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja. For surgir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que surja una idea en la reunión. 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.
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 this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For surgir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si surgiera una oportunidad única, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja. For surgir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que surja una duda en el examen. Learn the affirmative imperative 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. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja. For surgir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No surja un problema en el trabajo. Learn the negative imperative 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 surgir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Surge un problema en el trabajo. — A problem at work arises.
- Surge una idea en la reunión. — An idea in the meeting arises.
- Ayer, surgió una oportunidad única. — A unique opportunity arose.
- Antes, surgía una duda en el examen. — A doubt in the exam used to arise.
- Mañana, surgirá un problema en el trabajo. — A problem at work will arise.
- Si lloviera, surgiría una idea en la reunión. — If it rained, an idea in the meeting would arise.
- Ya ha surgido una oportunidad única. — A unique opportunity has arisen.
- Espero que surja una duda en el examen. — I hope a doubt in the exam arises.
- Ya había surgido un problema en el trabajo antes de salir. — A problem at work had arisen.
- Surgía una idea en la reunión todos los días. — An idea in the meeting used to arise.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo surjo un problema en el trabajo. — Right: Surge un problema en el trabajo. — With surgir, the thing is the subject, not the person: surge is the form that agrees with un problema en el trabajo, and a person cannot be the subject of this verb in this sense.
- Wrong: Surgo una idea en la reunión. — Right: Surge una idea en la reunión. — Surgir is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja, so the third-person present is surge, not surgo.
- Wrong: Treating surgir and aparecer as identical in every context. — Right: Surgir means to arise, while aparecer means to appear. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: surgir fits sentences such as Surge un problema en el trabajo, while aparecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Es surgido una idea en la reunión. — Right: Ha surgido una idea en la reunión. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: ha surgido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, surgió una oportunidad única todos los días. — Right: De niño, surgía una oportunidad única todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (surgía), not the preterite. The preterite (surgió) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on surgir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: ___ un problema en el trabajo. (present tense) A. surge B. surjo C. surges D. surgimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, ___ una idea en la reunión. (preterite) A. surgí B. surgiste C. surgimos D. surgió
Complete the sentence: Antes, ___ una oportunidad única. (imperfect) A. surgíamos B. surjo C. surgía D. surgías
Complete the sentence: Mañana, ___ una duda en el examen. (future) A. surgiremos B. surgirá C. surgiré D. surgirás
Complete the sentence: Si lloviera, ___ un problema en el trabajo. (conditional) A. surgiría B. surgirías C. surgiríamos D. surjo
Complete the sentence: Espero que ___ una idea en la reunión. (present subjunctive) A. surjas B. surjamos C. surjo D. surja
Complete the sentence: Si ___ una oportunidad única, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. surgiéramos B. surjo C. surgiera D. surgieras
Complete the sentence: ___ una duda en el examen. (present perfect) A. hemos surgido B. ha surgido C. he surgido D. has surgido
Which is the past participle of surgir, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. surgido B. surgiendo C. surjo D. surgí
Which is the gerund of surgir, used with estar for the progressive? A. surgido B. surjo C. surgí D. surgiendo
Answer key
- surge — The él/ella/Ud. present tense of surgir is surge.
- surgió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of surgir is surgió.
- surgía — The él/ella/Ud. imperfect of surgir is surgía.
- surgirá — The él/ella/Ud. future of surgir is surgirá.
- surgiría — The él/ella/Ud. conditional of surgir is surgiría.
- surja — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of surgir is surja.
- surgiera — The él/ella/Ud. imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of surgir is surgiera.
- ha surgido — The él/ella/Ud. present perfect of surgir is ha surgido.
- surgido — The past participle of surgir is surgido: he surgido. The gerund surgiendo is used with estar instead.
- surgiendo — The gerund of surgir is surgiendo: estoy surgiendo. The participle surgido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does surgir mean in English?
Surgir means to arise. It is used in sentences such as Surge un problema en el trabajo — A problem at work arises. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is surgir regular or irregular?
Surgir is a spelling-change verb: it is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is surjo and the present subjunctive is surja. The endings are regular, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page, including surjo in the present and surgí in the preterite.
What is the difference between surgir and aparecer?
Surgir means to arise, while aparecer means to appear. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use surgir when you mean to arise, as in Surge un problema en el trabajo, and use aparecer for to appear. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I talk about the past with surgir?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished event, use the preterite: Surgió una idea en la reunión. For background in the past, use the imperfect: Surgía una oportunidad única. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Ha surgido una idea en la reunión.
How do I practise surgir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the surgir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Surgir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for surgir.
- Surgir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for surgir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Sumergir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with surgir.
- Sustituir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with surgir.
- Sufrir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with surgir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.