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How to conjugate Esforzarse in Spanish

esforzarse to make an effort, to try hard, to strive Irregular Verb

At a glance: Esforzarse (to make an effort, to try hard, to strive) is a reflexive irregular verb in Spanish. In the present tense: me esfuerzo, te esfuerzas, se esfuerza, nos esforzamos, os esforzáis, se esfuerzan. Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change o to ue (esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza, esfuerzan); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (me esforcé) and present subjunctive (me esfuerce).

Past participle
esforzado made an effort
Gerund
esforzando making an effort
Sample Verb Conjugation Tables

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Indicative tenses of Esforzarse

Esforzarse in the Indicative Present

The Indicative Present of esforzarse is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “me esfuerzo”, meaning “I make an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esfuerzoI make an effort
Túte esfuerzasyou make an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esfuerzas/he makes an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforzamoswe make an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforzáisyou (plural) make an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esfuerzanthey make an effort

How it’s built: Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change o to ue (esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza, esfuerzan); nosotros and vosotros are regular. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Preterite

The Indicative Preterite of esforzarse is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “me esforcé”, meaning “I made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esforcéI made an effort
Túte esforzasteyou made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esforzós/he made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforzamoswe made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforzasteisyou (plural) made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esforzaronthey made an effort

How it’s built: Yo changes z to c (esforcé); the other forms are regular. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Imperfect

The Indicative Imperfect of esforzarse is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “me esforzaba”, meaning “I used to make an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esforzabaI used to make an effort
Túte esforzabasyou used to make an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esforzabas/he used to make an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforzábamoswe used to make an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforzabaisyou (plural) used to make an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esforzabanthey used to make an effort

How it’s built: Regular: stem esforz- plus the -ar endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Present Continuous

The Indicative Present Continuous of esforzarse is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “me estoy esforzando”, meaning “I am making an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome estoy esforzandoI am making an effort
Túte estás esforzandoyou are making an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse está esforzandos/he is making an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos estamos esforzandowe are making an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos estáis esforzandoyou (plural) are making an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse están esforzandothey are making an effort

How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund esforzando. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Informal Future

The Indicative Informal Future of esforzarse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “me voy a esforzar”, meaning “I am going to make an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome voy a esforzarI am going to make an effort
Túte vas a esforzaryou are going to make an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse va a esforzars/he is going to make an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos vamos a esforzarwe are going to make an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos vais a esforzaryou (plural) are going to make an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse van a esforzarthey are going to make an effort

How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive esforzar. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Future

The Indicative Future of esforzarse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “me esforzaré”, meaning “I will make an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esforzaréI will make an effort
Túte esforzarásyou will make an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esforzarás/he will make an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforzaremoswe will make an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforzaréisyou (plural) will make an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esforzaránthey will make an effort

How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive esforzar plus the future endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Conditional

The Indicative Conditional of esforzarse is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “me esforzaría”, meaning “I would make an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esforzaríaI would make an effort
Túte esforzaríasyou would make an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esforzarías/he would make an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforzaríamoswe would make an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforzaríaisyou (plural) would make an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esforzaríanthey would make an effort

How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive esforzar plus the conditional endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Present Perfect

The Indicative Present Perfect of esforzarse is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “me he esforzado”, meaning “I have made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome he esforzadoI have made an effort
Túte has esforzadoyou have made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse ha esforzados/he has made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hemos esforzadowe have made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habéis esforzadoyou (plural) have made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse han esforzadothey have made an effort

How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle esforzado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Past Perfect

The Indicative Past Perfect of esforzarse is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “me había esforzado”, meaning “I had made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome había esforzadoI had made an effort
Túte habías esforzadoyou had made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse había esforzados/he had made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos habíamos esforzadowe had made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habíais esforzadoyou (plural) had made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse habían esforzadothey had made an effort

How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle esforzado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Future Perfect

The Indicative Future Perfect of esforzarse is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “me habré esforzado”, meaning “I will have made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome habré esforzadoI will have made an effort
Túte habrás esforzadoyou will have made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse habrá esforzados/he will have made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos habremos esforzadowe will have made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habréis esforzadoyou (plural) will have made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse habrán esforzadothey will have made an effort

How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle esforzado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Indicative Conditional Perfect of esforzarse is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “me habría esforzado”, meaning “I would have made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome habría esforzadoI would have made an effort
Túte habrías esforzadoyou would have made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse habría esforzados/he would have made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos habríamos esforzadowe would have made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos habríais esforzadoyou (plural) would have made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse habrían esforzadothey would have made an effort

How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle esforzado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Subjunctive tenses of Esforzarse

Esforzarse in the Subjunctive Present

The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “me esfuerce”, meaning “I make an effort”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esfuerceI make an effort
Túte esfuercesyou make an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esfuerces/he makes an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforcemoswe make an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforcéisyou (plural) make an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esfuercenthey make an effort

How it’s built: Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change o to ue and z to c (esfuerce, esfuerces, esfuerce, esfuercen); nosotros and vosotros change z to c (esforcemos, esforcéis). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Esforzarse in the Subjunctive Imperfect

The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “me esforzara”, meaning “I made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esforzaraI made an effort
Túte esforzarasyou made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esforzaras/he made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforzáramoswe made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforzaraisyou (plural) made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esforzaranthey made an effort

How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, esforzaron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (esforzáramos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Subjunctive Future

The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “me esforzare”, meaning “I will make an effort”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome esforzareI will make an effort
Túte esforzaresyou will make an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse esforzares/he will make an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos esforzáremoswe will make an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos esforzareisyou (plural) will make an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse esforzarenthey will make an effort

How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, esforzaron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (esforzáremos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Subjunctive Present Perfect

The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “me haya esforzado”, meaning “I have made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome haya esforzadoI have made an effort
Túte hayas esforzadoyou have made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse haya esforzados/he has made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hayamos esforzadowe have made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos hayáis esforzadoyou (plural) have made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse hayan esforzadothey have made an effort

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle esforzado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Subjunctive Past Perfect

The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “me hubiera esforzado”, meaning “I had made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome hubiera esforzadoI had made an effort
Túte hubieras esforzadoyou had made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse hubiera esforzados/he had made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hubiéramos esforzadowe had made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos hubierais esforzadoyou (plural) had made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse hubieran esforzadothey had made an effort

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle esforzado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Esforzarse in the Subjunctive Future Perfect

The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “me hubiere esforzado”, meaning “I will have made an effort”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yome hubiere esforzadoI will have made an effort
Túte hubieres esforzadoyou will have made an effort
Ella / Él / Ustedse hubiere esforzados/he will have made an effort
Nosotras / Nosotrosnos hubiéremos esforzadowe will have made an effort
Vosotras / Vosotrosos hubiereis esforzadoyou (plural) will have made an effort
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesse hubieren esforzadothey will have made an effort

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle esforzado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.

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Imperative tenses of Esforzarse

Esforzarse in the Imperative Affirmative

The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “esfuércese”, meaning “(to you formal) make an effort!”.

In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
Túesfuérzate(to you) make an effort!
Ella / Él / Ustedesfuércese(to you formal) make an effort!
Nosotras / Nosotrosesforcémonoslet's make an effort!
Vosotras / Vosotrosesforzaos(to you plural) make an effort!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesesfuércense(to you plural formal) make an effort!

How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present and attaches te (esfuérzate); usted and ustedes take the subjunctive present and attach se (esfuércese, esfuércense); nosotros takes the subjunctive present, drops the s and attaches nos (esforcémonos); vosotros drops the final r of the infinitive and attaches os (esforzaos).

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Esforzarse in the Imperative Negative

The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no se esfuerce”, meaning “(to you formal) don't make an effort!”.

In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
Túno te esfuerces(to you) don't make an effort!
Ella / Él / Ustedno se esfuerce(to you formal) don't make an effort!
Nosotras / Nosotrosno nos esforcemoslet's not make an effort!
Vosotras / Vosotrosno os esforcéis(to you plural) don't make an effort!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesno se esfuercen(to you plural formal) don't make an effort!

How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no te esfuerces, no se esfuerce, no nos esforcemos, no os esforcéis, no se esfuercen.

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Frequently asked questions about Esforzarse

Is esforzarse a regular or irregular verb?

Esforzarse is an irregular Spanish verb. In the present tense: yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos change o to ue (esfuerzo, esfuerzas, esfuerza, esfuerzan); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (me esforcé) and present subjunctive (me esfuerce).

How do you conjugate esforzarse in the present tense (presente)?

In the present tense (presente), esforzarse is conjugated as: yo me esfuerzo, tú te esfuerzas, él/ella/usted se esfuerza, nosotros nos esforzamos, vosotros os esforzáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se esfuerzan. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.

How do you conjugate esforzarse in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?

In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), esforzarse is conjugated as: yo me esforcé, tú te esforzaste, él/ella/usted se esforzó, nosotros nos esforzamos, vosotros os esforzasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se esforzaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.

How do you conjugate esforzarse in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?

In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), esforzarse is conjugated as: yo me esforzaba, tú te esforzabas, él/ella/usted se esforzaba, nosotros nos esforzábamos, vosotros os esforzabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes se esforzaban. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.

How do you conjugate esforzarse in the future tense (futuro simple)?

In the future tense (futuro simple), esforzarse is conjugated as: yo me esforzaré, tú te esforzarás, él/ella/usted se esforzará, nosotros nos esforzaremos, vosotros os esforzaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se esforzarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.

How do you conjugate esforzarse in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?

In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), esforzarse is conjugated as: yo me esfuerce, tú te esfuerces, él/ella/usted se esfuerce, nosotros nos esforcemos, vosotros os esforcéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se esfuercen. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.


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