Sufrir means 'to suffer' or 'to undergo', and it is a regular -ir verb that adds weight to writing about problems, health and society. Sufre de estrés (he suffers from stress), sufrieron mucho (they suffered a lot). It is more formal in register, which makes it valuable for higher-level essays on issues like the environment or social problems, where you might write that people or places sufren las consecuencias (suffer the consequences). As a regular -ir verb the conjugation is predictable, so the value lies in deploying it for serious, developed points.
Quick facts
Sufrir (to suffer) is a regular -ir verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Sufre de estrés (he suffers from stress).
Sufrir un accidente (to have an accident).
Valuable for serious essay points.
Sufrir las consecuencias (to suffer the consequences).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
sufrir is a regular -ir verb — it follows the standard -ir pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know sufrir, you know the template for all regular -ir verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice sufrir now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: sufro, tú: sufres, él: sufre, nosotros: sufrimos, vosotros: sufrís, ellos: sufren
The past participle is sufrido (he sufrido) and the gerund is sufriendo (estoy sufriendo).
Sufrir is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with sufrir or that behave like it.
Sufrir is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.