sofrer

Sofrer is a Portuguese verb that means to suffer, to experience pain, injury, misfortune, or hardship, and to endure or undergo something negative. It is used both transitively and intransitively, in emotional contexts as well as physical ones. Common constructions include sofrer danos (to suffer damages), sofrer perdas (to suffer losses), and sofrer de/sofrer com (to suffer from or to suffer due to a condition or situation). In everyday language, sofrer is often paired with prepositions such as de, com, or por to indicate cause or condition.

Etymology: The verb derives from Latin sub- + ferre, meaning to bear under or endure. It reached Portuguese via Old French souffrir/soufrir, and is cognate with French souffrir and English suffer. The meaning center has long been to bear hardship or pain.

Conjugation: Key forms include present indicative: eu sofro, tu sofres, ele/ela/você sofre, nós sofremos, vós sofreis, eles/elas/vocês sofrem. Preterite (pretérito perfeito): eu sofri, tu sofreste, ele/ela sofreu, nós sofremos, vós sofrestes, eles/elas sofreram. Imperfect (pretérito imperfeito): eu sofria, tu sofrias, ele sofria, nós sofriamos, vós sofríeis, eles sofriam. Gerund: sofrendo. Past participle: sofrido. The verb also appears in compound tenses with ter or haver, as in tenho sofrido (I have suffered).

Usage notes: Sofrer de uma doença or sofrer com a solidão expressa affliction or hardship at the person level, while sofrer danos or sofrer perdas describes material impacts. Padecer is a closely related, more literary synonym. While the sense remains largely consistent across Brazilian and European Portuguese, regional preferences may affect choice of synonyms in formal writing.