Soffrire (to suffer) shares its conjugation pattern with offrire almost down to the last form — same pure -ire model with no -isc- infix, same double ff in the stem, same -rto participle (sofferto), and the same dual passato remoto (regular soffrii / strong soffersi). If you can conjugate offrire, you can conjugate soffrire by adding a single s-. The two verbs even share an etymology: both come from Latin ferre (to bear, carry), with offerre "to bear toward" giving offrire and sufferre "to bear under" giving soffrire. Italian preserves the architectural symmetry that Latin set up.
What makes soffrire worth its own page is everything outside the morphology: the rich web of prepositions the verb selects (soffrire di for chronic conditions, soffrire per for emotional causes, soffrire a + infinitive for difficult experiences), the cluster of idioms built on it (soffrire come un cane, soffrire le pene dell'inferno, non soffro nessuno), and the surprising use of soffrire as a verb of dislike — non soffro le bugie ("I can't stand lies") — where English would reach for a different verb entirely.
The verb is also genuinely high-frequency. Italians use it for medical complaints (soffrire di asma, di mal di testa, di insonnia), for emotional pain (ha sofferto molto per la perdita), for discomfort (soffrire il caldo, il freddo, il mal d'auto), and figuratively for things barely tolerable (soffrire la solitudine). Once you know the verb you start hearing it constantly in conversations about health, relationships, and resilience.
Indicativo presente
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| io | soffro | /ˈsoffro/ |
| tu | soffri | /ˈsoffri/ |
| lui / lei / Lei | soffre | /ˈsoffre/ |
| noi | soffriamo | /sofˈfrjamo/ |
| voi | soffrite | /sofˈfrite/ |
| loro | soffrono | /ˈsoffrono/ |
A pure -ire present — no -isc- infix. Stress falls on the first syllable in the singular and 3pl (sòffro, sòffri, sòffre, sòffrono) and shifts to the ending in noi/voi (soffriàmo, soffrìte). The double ff is audibly lengthened — soffro sits firmly on its consonant centre.
Soffro di emicrania da quando ero adolescente.
I've suffered from migraines since I was a teenager.
Soffri ancora il mal d'auto in viaggio?
Do you still get carsick on trips?
Mio padre soffre molto il caldo umido di Roma in estate.
My father really struggles with Rome's humid summer heat.
Soffriamo tutti per quello che è successo a Marco.
We all feel terrible about what happened to Marco.
I miei nonni soffrono di pressione alta da anni.
My grandparents have had high blood pressure for years.
Imperfetto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | soffrivo |
| tu | soffrivi |
| lui / lei / Lei | soffriva |
| noi | soffrivamo |
| voi | soffrivate |
| loro | soffrivano |
Standard -ire imperfect endings on the regular soffr- stem. The imperfetto carries most of the verb's weight in past-tense storytelling — chronic conditions one used to have, emotional pain one was going through, ongoing struggles. This is the form you reach for when describing a difficult period rather than a single completed event.
Da bambino soffrivo di insonnia, mia madre passava ore a leggermi favole.
As a child I suffered from insomnia, and my mother would spend hours reading me bedtime stories.
Si vedeva che soffriva, anche se cercava di non darlo a vedere.
You could tell she was hurting, even though she tried not to show it.
Passato remoto
| Person | Form (default) | Form (literary) |
|---|---|---|
| io | soffrii | soffersi |
| tu | soffristi | soffristi |
| lui / lei / Lei | soffrì | sofferse |
| noi | soffrimmo | soffrimmo |
| voi | soffriste | soffriste |
| loro | soffrirono | soffersero |
Like offrire, soffrire keeps two parallel passato remoto paradigms in modern Italian. The regular forms — soffrii, soffrì, soffrirono — are the everyday default and the only forms most contemporary speakers produce. The strong alternative — soffersi, sofferse, soffersero — built on the same -ers- root that gives the participle sofferto, is literary (formal): you'll see it in 19th-century prose, in elevated journalism, and in biography of suffering figures (saints, martyrs, exiles, artists).
The orthography deserves a careful look. The 1sg soffrii has a double i — the verb-stem -i plus the inflectional -i of 1sg passato remoto — a doubled vowel that's easy to mis-spell as a single i. The 3sg soffrì carries a mandatory grave accent on the final stressed -ì; without it, soffri collapses into the imperative/2sg-present form. The double m in soffrimmo distinguishes the passato remoto from the present soffriamo. The strong forms (soffersi, sofferse, soffersero) carry no accent because their stress falls naturally on the second syllable.
Mia bisnonna soffrì molto durante la guerra, ma non si lamentò mai.
My great-grandmother suffered a lot during the war, but she never complained.
Soffrirono tanto in quegli anni che non ne parlavano mai con i figli.
They suffered so much in those years that they never spoke about it with their children.
Futuro semplice
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | soffrirò |
| tu | soffrirai |
| lui / lei / Lei | soffrirà |
| noi | soffriremo |
| voi | soffrirete |
| loro | soffriranno |
Regular -ire future on soffrir-. The 1sg soffrirò and 3sg soffrirà require the grave accent.
Senza l'aria condizionata soffrirò il caldo come un cane stanotte.
Without air conditioning I'll suffer terribly with the heat tonight.
Se continui a non dormire abbastanza, soffrirai gli effetti del riposo insufficiente.
If you keep not sleeping enough, you'll feel the effects of inadequate rest.
Condizionale presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | soffrirei |
| tu | soffriresti |
| lui / lei / Lei | soffrirebbe |
| noi | soffriremmo |
| voi | soffrireste |
| loro | soffrirebbero |
Watch the spelling trap: soffriremo (future, single m) versus soffriremmo (conditional, double m). The conditional is heavily used in counterfactual reflections — non soffrirei così tanto se solo avessi capito prima ("I wouldn't be hurting this much if only I'd understood sooner").
Soffrirei meno se sapessi quando finirà tutto questo.
I'd suffer less if I knew when all this would end.
Soffriremmo molto a lasciare questa città dopo dieci anni.
We'd find it really hard to leave this city after ten years.
Congiuntivo presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (che) io | soffra |
| (che) tu | soffra |
| (che) lui / lei | soffra |
| (che) noi | soffriamo |
| (che) voi | soffriate |
| (che) loro | soffrano |
Three singulars collapse into soffra.
Mi dispiace che tu soffra così tanto in questo periodo.
I'm sorry you're suffering so much these days.
Non vorrei che soffrano per colpa mia.
I wouldn't want them to suffer because of me.
Congiuntivo imperfetto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (che) io | soffrissi |
| (che) tu | soffrissi |
| (che) lui / lei | soffrisse |
| (che) noi | soffrissimo |
| (che) voi | soffriste |
| (che) loro | soffrissero |
Standard imperfect-subjunctive endings on the regular stem. The voi form soffriste is identical to the passato remoto soffriste — context resolves which is meant.
Non immaginavo che soffrisse così profondamente per quella decisione.
I had no idea he was suffering so deeply over that decision.
Imperativo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | soffri |
| Lei (formal) | soffra |
| noi | soffriamo |
| voi | soffrite |
| loro (formal pl.) | soffrano |
The imperative of soffrire is rare in everyday speech — you don't typically order someone to suffer. It surfaces mostly in fixed expressions, in religious or moral discourse (soffri in silenzio, "bear it in silence"), or in the negative non soffrire troppo ("don't suffer too much") as a sympathetic remark.
Non soffrire troppo, passerà presto.
Don't suffer too much, this will pass.
Forme non finite
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Infinito presente | soffrire |
| Infinito passato | aver(e) sofferto |
| Gerundio presente | soffrendo |
| Gerundio passato | avendo sofferto |
| Participio passato | sofferto |
The participle sofferto is the verb's main irregularity, sharing the -rto ending with offerto, aperto, coperto, scoperto, riaperto. The same Latin sufferre/suffertus root that gave us sofferto also gave English suffered; both languages preserve the -rt- of the Latin participle.
As an adjective, sofferto has a productive figurative meaning that goes beyond literal suffering: un sorriso sofferto ("a pained smile"), una scelta sofferta ("a hard-won choice", "a difficult decision arrived at after much thought"), una vittoria sofferta ("a hard-fought victory"). This adjectival use is genuinely common in newspapers and political discourse. The literal use ("having suffered") and the figurative use ("hard-won, costly, painful to arrive at") are the same word, and the distinction is settled entirely by context.
Avendo sofferto molto in passato, ora apprezza ogni piccola gioia.
Having suffered a lot in the past, she now appreciates every small joy.
È stata una vittoria sofferta — abbiamo lottato fino all'ultimo minuto.
It was a hard-fought victory — we battled until the last minute.
Compound tenses (auxiliary: avere)
Soffrire takes avere in every compound tense, in both its intransitive and transitive uses. The participle sofferto stays invariable unless preceded by a direct-object pronoun, in which case it agrees with that pronoun.
| Tense | io | tu | noi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passato prossimo | ho sofferto | hai sofferto | abbiamo sofferto |
| Trapassato prossimo | avevo sofferto | avevi sofferto | avevamo sofferto |
| Trapassato remoto | ebbi sofferto | avesti sofferto | avemmo sofferto |
| Futuro anteriore | avrò sofferto | avrai sofferto | avremo sofferto |
| Condizionale passato | avrei sofferto | avresti sofferto | avremmo sofferto |
| Congiuntivo passato | abbia sofferto | abbia sofferto | abbiamo sofferto |
| Congiuntivo trapassato | avessi sofferto | avessi sofferto | avessimo sofferto |
Ha sofferto molto durante la malattia, ma ne è uscita più forte.
She suffered a lot during her illness, but came out of it stronger.
Avrei sofferto di meno se avessi parlato con qualcuno prima.
I would have suffered less if I'd talked to someone sooner.
The prepositional system: di vs per vs a
This is where soffrire earns its independent page. The verb selects different prepositions for different relationships, and getting them right is a marker of intermediate-to-advanced fluency.
Soffrire di + condition
Used for chronic, ongoing conditions — typically medical, but also psychological. The condition is presented as something one has and lives with. No article in most cases (soffro di mal di testa, not soffro del mal di testa).
Soffro di asma da quando ero piccola.
I've had asthma since I was little.
Mio padre soffre di pressione alta e di insonnia.
My father has high blood pressure and insomnia.
Soffre di ansia sociale, ma sta seguendo una terapia.
She has social anxiety, but she's in therapy.
Soffrire per + cause/person
Used for acute pain caused by something or someone — typically emotional, often a specific event or relationship. The preposition per points to the source of the suffering.
Ha sofferto molto per la fine del matrimonio.
She suffered a lot over the end of the marriage.
I genitori soffrono per i figli, è inevitabile.
Parents suffer because of their children — it's inevitable.
Sta soffrendo per quella ragazza da mesi.
He's been heartbroken over that girl for months.
Soffrire a + infinitive
Used for a specific kind of difficulty experienced in doing something. Roughly "to find it painful to + verb."
Soffro a vederlo così triste.
It hurts me to see him so sad.
Soffriva a stare lontano dalla famiglia per così tanto tempo.
It was painful for him to be far from his family for so long.
Soffrire qualcosa/qualcuno (transitive, "can't stand")
Used in negation to mean "to be unable to stand" — non soffrire + direct object. This is a common idiomatic use that startles English speakers expecting suffer to mean only "endure pain." The structure is non sopportare in standard usage, but non soffrire (qualcuno) is widely heard, especially in southern and central Italian speech and in literary writing.
Non soffro le persone che si lamentano sempre.
I can't stand people who complain all the time.
Non soffro nessuno in casa quando lavoro.
I can't stand having anyone in the house when I'm working.
Soffre il caldo umido — qualsiasi temperatura sopra i ventotto gradi è una tortura.
She can't stand humid heat — any temperature above twenty-eight degrees is torture.
The last sentence shows the idiomatic transitive use of soffrire in the affirmative — soffre il caldo meaning finds the heat unbearable — which is a fixed collocation alongside soffrire il freddo, soffrire l'umidità, soffrire il mal d'auto, soffrire il mal di mare.
Set phrases and idioms
Soffrire anchors a long list of fixed expressions in everyday Italian:
- soffrire come un cane — to suffer terribly (literally "like a dog")
- soffrire le pene dell'inferno — to suffer the torments of hell (extreme exaggeration)
- soffrire in silenzio — to suffer in silence
- non soffrire qualcuno — to be unable to stand someone
- soffrire il caldo / il freddo — to be sensitive to heat / cold
- soffrire di mal d'auto / di mare / d'aereo — to get carsick / seasick / airsick
- soffrire la fame / la sete — to suffer hunger / thirst (often historical)
- una scelta sofferta — a hard, deeply considered decision
- una vittoria sofferta — a hard-fought win
Ho sofferto come un cane in palestra ieri, oggi non riesco a muovermi.
I suffered terribly at the gym yesterday — today I can't move.
Soffriva in silenzio per non preoccupare i bambini.
She suffered in silence so as not to worry the children.
È stata una scelta sofferta, ma alla fine sono partita.
It was a difficult decision, but in the end I left.
Soffrire vs offrire — the symmetry
It's worth seeing the two verbs side by side. Almost every form is identical except for the initial s- and a few lexical-meaning details.
| Form | Offrire (offer) | Soffrire (suffer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1sg presente | offro | soffro |
| 3pl presente | offrono | soffrono |
| 1sg passato remoto (regular) | offrii | soffrii |
| 1sg passato remoto (literary) | offersi | soffersi |
| 3sg passato remoto (literary) | offerse | sofferse |
| Participio | offerto | sofferto |
| 1sg congiuntivo presente | offra | soffra |
| Auxiliary | avere | avere |
The Latin etymology cements the parallel: offerre (to bear toward, to present) and sufferre (to bear under, to undergo). Both are compounds of ferre (to carry), and both retain the -rt- of the Latin participle (offertus, suffertus).
Common mistakes
❌ Ho soffrito molto in quel periodo.
Incorrect — the participle is sofferto, not soffrito.
✅ Ho sofferto molto in quel periodo.
Correct — sofferto is the irregular -rto participle.
❌ Soffro per asma da bambina.
Incorrect — chronic conditions take soffrire di, not per.
✅ Soffro di asma da bambina.
Correct — soffrire di + condition.
❌ Soffriva di la perdita del padre.
Incorrect — emotional causes take soffrire per, not di.
✅ Soffriva per la perdita del padre.
Correct — soffrire per + cause.
❌ Io soffrisco il caldo.
Incorrect — soffrire is a pure -ire verb without the -isc- infix.
✅ Io soffro il caldo.
Correct — pure -ire verbs conjugate without -isc-.
❌ Lui sofferì in silenzio per anni.
Incorrect — the regular passato remoto 3sg is soffrì (with grave accent), or the literary form sofferse.
✅ Lui soffrì in silenzio per anni.
Correct — soffrì with the grave accent.
❌ Sono sofferto molto.
Incorrect — soffrire takes avere, not essere.
✅ Ho sofferto molto.
Correct — soffrire is conjugated with avere.
❌ Penso che lui soffre troppo.
Incorrect — penso che triggers the subjunctive.
✅ Penso che lui soffra troppo.
Correct — soffra is the congiuntivo presente.
Key takeaways
Soffrire is a pure -ire verb (no -isc-): soffro, soffri, soffre, soffriamo, soffrite, soffrono. It conjugates exactly like offrire, with the initial s- as the only difference.
The participle is sofferto, never soffrito. Part of the -rto family alongside offerto, aperto, coperto, scoperto. As an adjective, sofferto has a productive figurative meaning ("hard-won, costly, painful") that goes beyond literal suffering.
Two passato remoto paradigms: regular soffrii / soffrì / soffrirono (default modern usage) and strong soffersi / sofferse / soffersero (literary). Use the regular forms in speech and writing.
The auxiliary is avere in every compound tense and in every meaning — chronic conditions, acute pain, idiomatic dislike. There is no auxiliary split.
The prepositional system is the real difficulty: soffrire di for chronic conditions (soffro di emicrania), soffrire per for emotional causes (soffre per la perdita), soffrire a + inf for painful acts (soffro a vederlo così), and non soffrire + direct object for "can't stand" (non soffro le bugie). Each preposition encodes a different kind of relationship between the sufferer and the source.
The fixed collocations are everywhere: soffrire come un cane, soffrire in silenzio, soffrire il caldo, una scelta sofferta, una vittoria sofferta. Drill them as units.
The mandatory companion verb is offrire, which conjugates identically and shares the same -rto participle pattern. For the broader -rto family, see aprire.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Offrire: Full ConjugationA2 — Complete paradigm of offrire (to offer) — a pure -ire verb with the irregular -rto participle (offerto), two competing passato remoto forms (offrii / offersi), and the everyday verb for treating someone to coffee, drinks, or a gesture of generosity.
- Aprire: Full ConjugationA1 — Complete paradigm of aprire (to open) — a regular pure -ire verb everywhere except the past participle, where it carries the irregular -rto pattern shared with offerto, coperto, sofferto, scoperto.
- Presente: Regular -ire Verbs (Pure Subgroup)A1 — How to conjugate the 'pure' subgroup of -ire verbs in the present indicative — a small but high-frequency closed list of verbs that follow the basic -ire endings without the -isco infix.
- Passato Remoto: The -si Pattern (Strong Perfects)B1 — The single most productive irregular pattern in the Italian passato remoto — one rule that conjugates dozens of high-frequency -ere verbs from prendere to scrivere to leggere.