sufría

Sufría is a Spanish verb form. It is the imperfect indicative third-person singular of the verb sufrir. Sufrir means "to suffer" or "to endure." The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or to set the scene for a past event. Therefore, "sufría" translates to "he/she/it was suffering" or "he/she/it used to suffer."

This verb form can be used in various contexts. For example, "El niño sufría de fiebre alta" means "The child was suffering from a high fever." Another example is "Ella sufría en silencio" which translates to "She used to suffer in silence" or "She was suffering in silence." The choice between these interpretations often depends on the surrounding context of the sentence.

The imperfect tense of "sufrir" emphasizes the duration or repetition of the suffering, rather than a single, completed event. This distinguishes it from the preterite tense, which would describe a completed action. For instance, "sufrió" (preterite) would mean "he/she/it suffered" as a single event. "Sufría" implies a continuous or recurring state of suffering in the past.