soffrano

Soffrano is the third-person plural present subjunctive form of the Italian verb soffrire, which means "to suffer." It does not function as a standalone noun or independent verb in modern Italian; instead, it appears as a conjugated form used in subordinate clauses that require the subjunctive mood.

In use, soffrano occurs in sentences that express doubt, emotion, possibility, or necessity, typically after verbs or expressions that trigger the subjunctive, or after conjunctions such as che. For example: “Spero che loro soffrano meno per questa situazione” (I hope that they suffer less from this situation). The pronoun loro is often omitted because the ending itself marks the subject plural.

Grammatically, soffrano belongs to the present subjunctive tense. The full present subjunctive forms of soffrire are: che io soffra, che tu soffra, che lui/lei soffra, che noi soffriamo, che voi soffriate, che loro soffrano. The related present indicative form is soffrono (they suffer). Other moods and tenses exist for soffrire, such as the present indicative soffro and the past participle sofferto, used with auxiliary avere to form perfect tenses (e.g., ho sofferto).

Notable usage: soffrano is primarily a grammatical form encountered in writing, literature, or language study, and it may appear in older or more formal Italian texts where the subjunctive mood is more prevalent. It is not a separate lexical entry beyond the verb soffrire and its conjugation.

See also: soffrire, conjunctions and verbs that govern the subjunctive in Italian, present subjunctive forms for other -ire verbs.