esforzarse
verbCEFR B1
What does “esforzarse” mean in English?
to make an effort, to try hard
to make an effort, to try hard (reflexive, pronominal; esforzarse por + infinitive)
Example sentences
Si te esfuerzas más en la pronunciación desde el principio, evitarás consolidar hábitos incorrectos que luego serán muy difíciles de cambiar.
If you try harder with your pronunciation from the beginning, you will avoid consolidating incorrect habits that will then be very hard to change.
María se ha esforzado mucho este semestre para mejorar su escritura formal y los resultados se notan claramente en los últimos trabajos entregados.
María has tried very hard this semester to improve her formal writing and the results are clearly noticeable in the last assignments handed in.
No basta con esforzarse una sola vez; el aprendizaje efectivo requiere esfuerzos constantes y graduales a lo largo de un período prolongado.
A single effort is not enough; effective learning requires constant and gradual efforts over a prolonged period.
How to use it
Esforzarse means 'to make an effort' or 'to try hard'. It is a pronominal (reflexive) verb with a stem change (o → ue) in stressed syllables: me esfuerzo, te esfuerzas, se esfuerza, nos esforzamos, os esforzáis, se esfuerzan. The reflexive pronoun is obligatory — there is no non-reflexive form esforzar with this meaning. It commonly takes the preposition por followed by an infinitive: esforzarse por mejorar, esforzarse por entender. In educational contexts it describes deliberate, sustained effort, and often collocates with más (esforzarse más = try harder).
Common mistake
The reflexive pronoun is mandatory: 'me esfuerzo', never '*esfuerzo' alone. The stem change is in stressed syllables: yo me esfuerzo (ue), but nosotros nos esforzamos (o — unstressed, no change). Esforzarse por + infinitive = to make an effort to do something. Don't confuse with intentar (to try/attempt, without the sustained-effort connotation).