Inklingo
A sad child sitting on a bed with a thermometer in their mouth and a cold compress on their forehead.

padecer Present Conjugation

padecer — to suffer from

B1irregular -er★★★
Quick answer:

Padecer is irregular in the 'yo' form (padezco), while all other forms follow regular -er patterns.

padecer Present Forms

yopadezco
túpadeces
él/ella/ustedpadece
nosotrospadecemos
vosotrospadecéis
ellos/ellas/ustedespadecen

When to Use the Present

Use the present tense to discuss chronic conditions, ongoing suffering, or general medical facts about what someone currently endures.

Notes on padecer in the Present

This verb follows the 'zc' pattern in the first person singular. The 'c' changes to 'zc' before an 'o' to maintain the soft 'th/s' sound: yo padezco.

Example Sentences

  • Yo padezco de migrañas desde pequeño.

    I have suffered from migraines since I was little.

    yo

  • Mucha gente padece alergias en primavera.

    Many people suffer from allergies in the spring.

    él/ella/usted

  • Nosotros no padecemos ninguna enfermedad grave.

    We do not suffer from any serious illness.

    nosotros

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: yo padeco

    Correct: yo padezco

    Why: Verbs ending in -ecer almost always require a 'z' before the 'c' in the 'yo' form to keep the pronunciation consistent.

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Related Tenses

Preterite

yo: padecí

Padecer is completely regular in the preterite: padecí, padeciste, padeció, padecimos, padecisteis, padecieron.

Imperfect

yo: padecía

Padecer is regular in the imperfect: padecía, padecías, padecía, padecíamos, padecíais, padecían.

Future

yo: padeceré

Padecer is regular in the future; simply add the endings to the infinitive: padeceré, padecerás, etc.

Conditional

yo: padecería

The conditional uses the full infinitive 'padecer' + ía endings: padecería, padecerías, etc.

Present Subjunctive

yo: padezca

The 'zc' from the 'yo' form carries through all persons: padezca, padezcas, padezca, etc.

Imperfect Subjunctive

yo: padeciera

Formed from the third-person plural preterite stem: padeciera, padecieras, padeciera.

Affirmative Imperative

yo: padece

The imperative forms for padecer are rarely used but follow standard -er rules and 'zc' for formal commands.

Negative Imperative

yo: no padezcas

All negative commands use the 'zc' stem from the present subjunctive: no padezcas, no padezca.