-ar verb C1 · Advanced

Conjugate sofocar in Spanish

to suffocate, to stifle

sofocar is a regular -ar verb ranked #1379 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "El humo comenzó a sofocar a los vecinos del edificio." (The smoke began to suffocate the residents of the building.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.

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Describes current actions, habits, and general truths. The most frequently used tense — master it first.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo sofoco
sofocas
él/ella/Ud. sofoca
nosotros sofocamos
vosotros sofocáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sofocan
Example

No puedo respirar, este calor me sofoca.

I can't breathe, this heat is suffocating me.

Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo sofoqué
sofocaste
él/ella/Ud. sofocó
nosotros sofocamos
vosotros sofocásteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sofocaron
Example

Los bomberos sofocaron el incendio en pocas horas.

The firefighters stifled the fire in a few hours.

Describes habitual past actions, background context, and ongoing states. Key signals: siempre, normalmente, cuando era niño.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo sofocaba
sofocabas
él/ella/Ud. sofocaba
nosotros sofocábamos
vosotros sofocabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sofocaban
Example

Antes yo sofocaba con frecuencia.

Before, I used to suffocate, to stifle often.

Describes future events and predictions. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for planned events.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo sofocaré
sofocarás
él/ella/Ud. sofocará
nosotros sofocaremos
vosotros sofocaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sofocarán
Example

Mañana yo sofocaré.

Tomorrow I will suffocate, to stifle.

Expresses what would happen under certain conditions — equivalent to "would" in English. Also used for polite requests.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo sofocaría
sofocarías
él/ella/Ud. sofocaría
nosotros sofocaríamos
vosotros sofocaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. sofocarían
Example

Si pudiera, yo sofocaría.

If I could, I would suffocate, to stifle.

Used in clauses expressing wishes, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty — typically after que. Triggers: querer, esperar, dudar, ojalá.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo sofoque
sofoques
él/ella/Ud. sofoque
nosotros sofoquemos
vosotros sofoquéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. sofoquen
Example

Espero que tú sofoques.

I hope that you suffocate, to stifle.

Used to give commands and direct requests. Affirmative and negative forms differ significantly in Spanish.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
sofoca
él/ella/Ud. sofoque
nosotros sofoquemos
vosotros sofocad
ellos/ellas/Uds. sofoquen
Example

No puedo respirar, este calor me sofoca.

I can't breathe, this heat is suffocating me.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with sofocar

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