Souffrir is the verb to suffer — but in French it is more flexible than the English equivalent. English speakers tend to use "suffer" for serious, dramatic suffering, and reach for "have," "ache," or "be in pain" for everyday discomforts. French uses souffrir across the whole range: a backache, a headache, allergies, a chronic condition, an emotional wound, a structural problem in a building, even a wine that doesn't travel well.
The single most useful pattern is souffrir de + something — to suffer from something. This is how French expresses chronic conditions, allergies, and ailments. Il souffre du dos — his back hurts (literally: "he suffers from the back"). Elle souffre d'asthme — she has asthma. The construction is everywhere in everyday French and once mastered unlocks a whole register of health vocabulary.
Mechanically, souffrir belongs to the ouvrir-offrir-souffrir family: -er endings in the present, irregular past participle souffert. This page is the full reference: every paradigm, the souffrir de construction, the figurative uses, and the high-frequency idioms.
The defining pattern
Souffrir shares its conjugation with ouvrir and offrir: it takes -er-style present-tense endings despite ending in -ir, and it has the irregular -ert past participle souffert. The signal feature: je souffre (not je souffris — that's literary), and j'ai souffert (not j'ai souffri).
The simple tenses
Présent de l'indicatif
The -er-style endings, on the stem souffr-.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | souffre | /ʒə sufʁ/ |
| tu | souffres | /ty sufʁ/ |
| il / elle / on | souffre | /il sufʁ/ |
| nous | souffrons | /nu sufʁɔ̃/ |
| vous | souffrez | /vu sufʁe/ |
| ils / elles | souffrent | /il sufʁ/ |
The double ff is purely orthographic — pronunciation is the same as a single f. The three singular forms and the 3rd-plural form are all pronounced the same: /sufʁ/. Only nous and vous break the pattern.
Je souffre depuis ce matin, j'ai dû me coincer le dos.
I've been in pain since this morning — I must have pulled something in my back.
Tu souffres beaucoup ? Tu veux un anti-douleur ?
Are you in a lot of pain? Do you want a painkiller?
Mon père souffre du dos depuis des années.
My father has had back pain for years.
Nous souffrons tous de la chaleur en ce moment.
We're all suffering from the heat right now.
Ils souffrent en silence, c'est leur façon d'être.
They suffer in silence, that's how they are.
Imparfait
Built on the present nous stem souffr- + regular endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | souffrais |
| tu | souffrais |
| il / elle / on | souffrait |
| nous | souffrions |
| vous | souffriez |
| ils / elles | souffraient |
The imparfait is the natural tense for past suffering, since suffering is a state — ongoing, durative.
Quand j'étais enfant, je souffrais souvent de migraines.
When I was a child, I often suffered from migraines.
Elle souffrait en silence, on ne s'en est jamais aperçus.
She was suffering in silence — we never noticed.
On souffrait du froid dans cette vieille maison.
We used to suffer from the cold in that old house.
Passé simple (literary)
The regular -is pattern, with circumflex on nous / vous.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | souffris |
| tu | souffris |
| il / elle / on | souffrit |
| nous | souffrîmes |
| vous | souffrîtes |
| ils / elles | souffrirent |
Il souffrit beaucoup pendant la guerre, mais n'en parla jamais.
He suffered greatly during the war, but never spoke of it. (literary)
Ils souffrirent en silence pendant des années avant de s'enfuir.
They suffered in silence for years before escaping. (literary)
Futur simple
Stem souffrir- (the full infinitive), regular endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | souffrirai |
| tu | souffriras |
| il / elle / on | souffrira |
| nous | souffrirons |
| vous | souffrirez |
| ils / elles | souffriront |
Tu souffriras un peu après l'opération, mais ça passera vite.
You'll be in some pain after the operation, but it'll pass quickly.
Les agriculteurs souffriront cette année à cause de la sécheresse.
Farmers will suffer this year because of the drought.
Conditionnel présent
Same stem souffrir-, with imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | souffrirais |
| tu | souffrirais |
| il / elle / on | souffrirait |
| nous | souffririons |
| vous | souffririez |
| ils / elles | souffriraient |
Sans ces médicaments, je souffrirais énormément.
Without these medications, I would be in enormous pain.
Vous souffririez moins en évitant le sucre.
You'd suffer less if you avoided sugar.
Subjonctif présent
The same souffr- stem with -er-style endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) je | souffre |
| (que) tu | souffres |
| (qu')il / elle / on | souffre |
| (que) nous | souffrions |
| (que) vous | souffriez |
| (qu')ils / elles | souffrent |
Je ne veux pas que tu souffres pour rien.
I don't want you to suffer for nothing.
Il faut éviter qu'elle souffre davantage.
We have to prevent her from suffering more.
Impératif
Rare in everyday speech (it's odd to command someone to suffer), but exists.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | souffre |
| (nous) | souffrons |
| (vous) | souffrez |
The most idiomatic use of the imperative is the formal expression souffrez que + subjunctive — "allow / permit that…" — an archaic but still recognized usage meaning "tolerate."
Souffrez que je vous interrompe un instant.
Allow me to interrupt you for a moment. (archaic / very formal)
Participles and gérondif
- Participe passé: souffert (irregular, NOT souffri) — invariable when intransitive (the standard case)
- Participe présent: souffrant (also functions as an adjective: "ailing, unwell")
- Gérondif: en souffrant
Mon grand-père est souffrant depuis quelques jours.
My grandfather has been ailing for a few days.
Elle a fini sa course en souffrant, mais elle a fini.
She finished the race in pain, but she finished.
The participle souffert is invariable in most uses because souffrir is typically intransitive — there's no direct object to agree with. The exception is the rare transitive use (souffrir une humiliation — endure a humiliation), where agreement with a preceding direct object can occur.
The compound tenses
Souffrir takes avoir as its auxiliary, despite being a state verb. It is not in the maison d'être. Past participle: souffert.
Passé composé
avoir (présent) + souffert
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | ai souffert |
| tu | as souffert |
| il / elle / on | a souffert |
| nous | avons souffert |
| vous | avez souffert |
| ils / elles | ont souffert |
J'ai beaucoup souffert pendant ma rupture.
I suffered a lot during my breakup.
Tu as souffert en silence trop longtemps.
You've been suffering in silence too long.
On a souffert de la canicule cet été.
We suffered from the heatwave this summer.
Plus-que-parfait
avoir (imparfait) + souffert
Avant le traitement, j'avais souffert pendant des mois.
Before the treatment, I had suffered for months.
Futur antérieur
avoir (futur) + souffert
Quand tu auras vraiment souffert, tu comprendras.
When you've truly suffered, you'll understand.
Conditionnel passé
avoir (conditionnel) + souffert
Sans cette opération, j'aurais souffert toute ma vie.
Without that operation, I would have suffered my whole life.
Subjonctif passé
avoir (subjonctif) + souffert
Je suis triste qu'elle ait tant souffert.
I'm sad that she suffered so much.
Core uses
1. Souffrir (intransitive) — to suffer, to be in pain
The standalone use, with no preposition. Can describe physical or emotional pain.
Le malade souffre énormément, il faut augmenter la morphine.
The patient is in enormous pain — we need to increase the morphine.
Elle souffrait en silence, personne ne s'en doutait.
She was suffering in silence — no one suspected.
Faire souffrir les autres, c'est lâche.
Making others suffer is cowardly.
2. Souffrir de + something — suffer from a condition / ailment
The most useful idiomatic pattern. De introduces the source of the suffering — a body part, a disease, an emotional state, even a phenomenon like noise or heat.
Il souffre du dos, c'est devenu chronique.
His back hurts — it's become chronic.
Elle souffre d'allergies au pollen au printemps.
She suffers from pollen allergies in the spring.
Beaucoup de gens souffrent de solitude pendant les fêtes.
A lot of people suffer from loneliness during the holidays.
Mon ordinateur souffre d'un manque de mémoire.
My computer suffers from a lack of memory.
Note the contracted forms: souffrir du = souffrir de + le (du dos, du genou); souffrir des = souffrir de + les (des dents, des reins).
Il souffre des dents depuis lundi.
His teeth have been hurting since Monday.
3. Faire souffrir quelqu'un — to make someone suffer
A very common construction. Faire souffrir doesn't carry the dramatic weight of English "make suffer" — it can mean simply "to cause pain to" or "to hurt someone's feelings."
Tu me fais souffrir avec ton silence.
You're hurting me with your silence.
Ne le fais pas souffrir, il est déjà fragile.
Don't make him suffer — he's already fragile.
Cette chaussure me fait souffrir, je dois la changer.
This shoe is killing me — I need to change it.
4. Souffrir in figurative / structural senses
Buildings, projects, economies, wines, even meat — anything can souffrir of a defect or condition.
Cette région souffre d'un manque d'investissement public.
This region suffers from a lack of public investment.
Ce vin souffre du voyage, il vaut mieux le boire ici.
This wine doesn't travel well — better to drink it here.
Le secteur agricole souffre de la concurrence étrangère.
The agricultural sector is hurt by foreign competition.
5. Ne pas pouvoir souffrir — to not be able to stand
A formal but still-used idiom for "to dislike intensely / not be able to stand."
Je ne peux pas souffrir cet homme.
I can't stand that man. (formal/literary)
Elle ne peut pas souffrir le bruit.
She can't stand noise. (literary register)
In modern conversational French, je ne supporte pas is more common, but je ne peux pas souffrir survives in literary and formal contexts.
High-frequency idioms and collocations
- souffrir le martyre — suffer terribly (literally: "suffer martyrdom"); idiomatic
- souffrir mille morts — suffer agonies (literally: "suffer a thousand deaths")
- souffrir en silence — suffer in silence
- souffrir comme un damné — suffer like the damned (very dramatic, common)
- faire souffrir mille morts à quelqu'un — make someone suffer terribly
- ne pas (pouvoir) souffrir — not be able to stand (someone or something)
- souffrir d'un mal — suffer from an ailment
- souffrir le froid / la chaleur — suffer the cold / heat
- souffrir patiemment — suffer patiently / endure
- qui aime bien châtie bien, mais qui aime trop fait souffrir — proverb-style: too much love causes suffering
- être souffrant — be unwell, ailing (genteel euphemism for being sick)
J'ai souffert le martyre chez le dentiste hier.
I went through hell at the dentist yesterday.
Pendant sa convalescence, elle a souffert mille morts.
During her convalescence, she suffered terribly.
Ma mère est souffrante, elle ne pourra pas venir.
My mother isn't well — she won't be able to come.
Souffrir vs avoir mal
For everyday physical pain, French has two main constructions:
| Construction | Use |
|---|---|
| avoir mal à + body part | Most common for everyday aches |
| souffrir de + body part | Slightly more medical / chronic |
J'ai mal à la tête (I have a headache) is more common in everyday speech than je souffre de la tête. But for chronic conditions, souffrir de is the standard medical phrasing: je souffre de migraines chroniques.
J'ai mal au ventre, j'ai dû mal manger.
My stomach hurts — I must have eaten something bad.
Je souffre de troubles digestifs depuis des années.
I've suffered from digestive issues for years.
The rule of thumb: avoir mal = momentary, acute, conversational. Souffrir = chronic, more serious, slightly more medical.
The ouvrir-offrir-souffrir family
These verbs all conjugate identically.
| Verb | Meaning | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| ouvrir | open | ouvert |
| offrir | offer, give | offert |
| souffrir | suffer | souffert |
| couvrir | cover | couvert |
| découvrir | discover | découvert |
| recouvrir | cover (completely) | recouvert |
Comparison with English
Three friction points:
English "suffer" feels dramatic; French souffrir is much more everyday. A French speaker will easily say je souffre du dos about a backache. An English speaker would say "my back hurts" and reserve "I suffer" for serious illness or anguish. Don't downgrade souffrir in your French — use it freely.
The preposition is de, not par or à. "Suffer from" maps to souffrir de. Souffrir par exists but means "to suffer at the hands of / because of (an agent)" and is rarer. Souffrir à is wrong.
Past participle souffert, not souffri. Same trap as the rest of the family.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Past participle souffri instead of souffert.
❌ J'ai souffri pendant des années.
Wrong — past participle is *souffert*, not *souffri*. The whole *ouvrir* family takes *-ert*.
✅ J'ai souffert pendant des années.
I suffered for years.
Mistake 2: Wrong preposition with the condition.
❌ Je souffre par migraines.
Wrong preposition — French uses *souffrir de*, not *souffrir par*.
✅ Je souffre de migraines.
I suffer from migraines.
Mistake 3: Using -ir endings in the present.
❌ Je souffris du dos.
Wrong tense — *je souffris* is the literary passé simple. Modern present is *je souffre*.
✅ Je souffre du dos.
My back hurts.
Mistake 4: Using être in compound tenses.
❌ Je suis souffert.
Wrong — *souffrir* takes *avoir*, despite being a state verb.
✅ J'ai souffert.
I suffered.
Mistake 5: Forgetting the de + article contractions.
❌ Il souffre de le dos.
Wrong — *de + le* must contract to *du*.
✅ Il souffre du dos.
His back hurts.
Mistake 6: Using avoir mal where souffrir is more idiomatic (chronic conditions).
❌ J'ai mal de migraines depuis dix ans.
Construction problem — *avoir mal* requires a specific body part with *à*. For chronic ailments, use *souffrir de*.
✅ Je souffre de migraines depuis dix ans.
I've suffered from migraines for ten years.
Key takeaways
Souffrir means "to suffer, to be in pain, to endure." It is broader and more everyday than English "suffer" — French speakers use it freely for routine ailments (je souffre du dos) where English would say "my back hurts."
The single most important pattern is souffrir de + ailment / condition — the standard way to say "suffer from" something. Watch the contractions: de + le → du, de + les → des. Il souffre du dos. Elle souffre des dents.
Mechanically, souffrir belongs to the ouvrir family: -er-style endings in the present (je souffre, nous souffrons) but the irregular past participle souffert (not souffri). Auxiliary in compound tenses is avoir (j'ai souffert).
The verb covers physical pain (souffrir d'une migraine), emotional pain (souffrir d'une rupture), and structural / abstract problems (la région souffre d'un manque d'investissement). For everyday acute pain, French speakers often prefer avoir mal à (j'ai mal à la tête); for chronic conditions, souffrir de is the medical standard.
Don't be afraid to use souffrir — it doesn't sound as dramatic in French as "suffer" does in English. Je souffre is normal complaint-language, not melodrama.
Now practice French
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning French→Related Topics
- Ouvrir: Full Verb ReferenceA1 — Ouvrir means to open — and despite ending in -ir, it conjugates with -er endings in the present, the great trap of French -ir verbs. Past participle ouvert (not *ouvri). This page is the full reference, with the ouvrir-offrir-souffrir family pattern, the major uses, and the idioms.
- Offrir: Full Verb ReferenceA1 — Offrir is the central verb of gift-giving in French — broader than English 'offer,' since it covers giving presents, treating someone, and proposing things in equal measure. It conjugates with -er endings in the present (like the ouvrir family) and has the irregular past participle offert. This page is the full reference, with all paradigms, the s'offrir construction (treat oneself), and the high-frequency idioms.
- Le Présent: Ouvrir et la famille -vrir/-frirA1 — The -ir verbs that conjugate like -er verbs in the present — ouvrir, couvrir, offrir, souffrir — plus the cueillir family that follows the same trick. Endings in -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent and past participles in -ert.
- Passé composé: avoir + irregular past participlesA1 — The high-frequency irregular past participles of French — eu, été, fait, dit, lu, vu, pris, mis — and how to drill them efficiently.
- Transitive and Intransitive VerbsA2 — How French verbs split into transitive and intransitive — and why the distinction decides which auxiliary you use, which preposition you need, and whether your participle agrees.
- L'Imparfait pour la DescriptionA2 — How French uses the imparfait to paint past scenes — weather, surroundings, people's appearance, mental and physical states. The descriptive backdrop on which passé-composé events unfold, plus the critical state-vs-change-of-state distinction.