Conjugate Sugerir In Spanish | Every Tense Made Simple

Sugerir uses e→ie in present forms, keeps suger- in past tenses, and switches to sugir- for many subjunctive and command forms.

Sugerir means “to suggest,” “to propose,” or “to hint at” an idea. You’ll see it in day-to-day Spanish when someone offers a plan, nudges a decision, or points to a better option. It’s a handy verb, and it shows up in work chats, travel plans, and family talk.

The only snag is the spelling and the stem changes. Once you see the pattern, it stops feeling random. This page walks you through the forms people use most, shows where the changes happen, and gives you sentence-ready examples you can copy into your own Spanish.

What Sugerir Means And How It Behaves In A Sentence

Sugerir has two common uses:

• Sugerir + noun: “to suggest something.”
• Sugerir que + verb: “to suggest that someone does something.”

In real Spanish, the second pattern often triggers the subjunctive after que, since it’s about a proposal, not a confirmed fact. That’s why you’ll see forms like sugiero que vayas (“I suggest you go”).

If you want a quick authority check on meaning and usage notes, the entry for sugerir in the RAE dictionary entry for “sugerir” lists the main senses and points you to its conjugation.

Conjugate Sugerir In Spanish With The Stem-Change Pattern

Sugerir is irregular in a patterned way. Think of it as two related moves:

• Present-stem change (e→ie): you’ll get sugiero, sugieres, sugiere, sugieren.
• Subjunctive/command stem (sugir-): you’ll get sugiera, sugieras, sugieran and command forms like sugiere and sugiera depending on the type of command.

The RAE also flags that it conjugates like sentir. The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry for “sugerir” states that point and treats it as an irregular verb that follows a known model.

Before you jump into full tables, lock in these three “anchor” forms. They’ll help you rebuild the rest fast:

• Yo:sugiero
• Él/ella/usted:sugiere
• Yo (preterite):sugerí

Sugerir Conjugation In Spanish For Everyday Speech

Most conversations lean on the present, the past, and the “suggest that…” pattern. So we’ll start with the forms you’re most likely to say out loud, then fill in the rest.

Present Indicative

This is where the e→ie change shows up in the boot forms (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, ellos/ellas/ustedes). The nosotros and vosotros forms stay closer to the infinitive stem.

• yo sugiero
• tú sugieres
• él/ella/usted sugiere
• nosotros/as sugerimos
• vosotros/as sugerís
• ellos/ellas/ustedes sugieren

Sentence patterns you can use right away:

• Te sugiero una ruta más corta. (I suggest a shorter route.)
• ¿Qué sugieres para cenar? (What do you suggest for dinner?)
• Ella sugiere un cambio de horario. (She suggests a schedule change.)

Preterite And Imperfect

Good news: past tense forms are steadier. The preterite and imperfect use the regular -ir endings, and the stem stays suger-.

• Preterite (yo):sugerí
• Preterite (él/ella/usted):sugirió
• Imperfect (yo):sugería

Use the preterite for a finished suggestion, often tied to a moment:

• Te sugerí llamar temprano. (I suggested calling early.)
• Nos sugirieron un hotel cerca del centro. (They suggested a hotel near downtown.)

Use the imperfect for repeated suggestions or background:

• Mi jefe sugería cambios cada semana. (My boss used to suggest changes every week.)
• Cuando viajábamos, mi madre sugería llevar snacks. (When we traveled, my mom would suggest bringing snacks.)

Future And Conditional

These two tenses usually keep the infinitive and add endings, so you get forms like sugeriré and sugeriría. No stem change needed.

• Mañana sugeriré otra opción. (Tomorrow I’ll suggest another option.)
• Yo sugeriría llegar antes. (I’d suggest arriving earlier.)

Tense Or Mood	Yo Form	Stem You’ll See
Present indicative	sugiero	sugier- (e→ie)
Preterite	sugerí	suger-
Imperfect	sugería	suger-
Future	sugeriré	sugerir-
Conditional	sugeriría	sugerir-
Present subjunctive	sugiera	sugir-
Imperfect subjunctive	sugiriera / sugiriese	sugir-
Affirmative tú command	—	sugiere (from “sugiere”)
Negative tú command	—	no sugieras (subjunctive form)

Subjunctive Forms You’ll Hear After “Que”

When you suggest an action with que, Spanish often uses the subjunctive. This is where the verb shifts to sugir-.

Present Subjunctive

Build it from the “yo” present, drop the -o, then add subjunctive endings. With sugerir, you’ll see sugier- in some forms and sugir- in others.

• yo sugiera
• tú sugieras
• él/ella/usted sugiera
• nosotros/as sugiramos
• vosotros/as sugiráis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes sugieran

Ready-to-use lines:

• Sugiero que pruebes esta app. (I suggest you try this app.)
• El médico sugiere que descanses. (The doctor suggests you rest.)
• ¿Quieres que sugiera otra fecha? (Do you want me to suggest another date?)

Imperfect Subjunctive

You’ll see two standard options: -ra and -se. Both are widely accepted; choose one and stay consistent within a text.

• -ra:sugiriera, sugirieras, sugiriéramos
• -se:sugiriese, sugirieses, sugiriésemos

Common use cases:

• Me alegró que sugirieras un plan. (I was glad you suggested a plan.)
• Si yo sugiriera un cambio, ¿lo aceptarían? (If I suggested a change, would they accept it?)

If you want a full tense-by-tense view while you practice, both SpanishDict’s “sugerir” conjugation table and WordReference’s “sugerir” conjugation page lay out the forms in one place.

Commands And Quick Polite Suggestions

Commands with sugerir show up in meetings and friendly advice. The form you pick depends on whether it’s affirmative or negative.

Affirmative Commands

• Tú:Sugiere un lugar. (Suggest a place.)
• Usted:Sugiera una alternativa. (Suggest an alternative.)
• Ustedes:Sugieran un plan. (Suggest a plan.)

Negative Commands

Negative commands use the present subjunctive forms.

• Tú:No sugieras eso ahora. (Don’t suggest that now.)
• Usted:No sugiera cambios sin avisar. (Don’t suggest changes without a heads-up.)
• Ustedes:No sugieran esa ruta de noche. (Don’t suggest that route at night.)

Participles, Gerund, And Perfect Tenses

These parts are steady and help you speak with less mental load.

Past Participle: Sugerido

Sugerido pairs with haber for perfect tenses:

• He sugerido una opción más barata. (I’ve suggested a cheaper option.)
• Habíamos sugerido salir temprano. (We had suggested leaving early.)

Gerund: Sugiriendo

Sugiriendo is used with estar for ongoing action:

• Estoy sugiriendo una mejora pequeña. (I’m suggesting a small improvement.)
• Están sugiriendo cambios en el plan. (They’re suggesting changes to the plan.)

What You Want To Say	Spanish Pattern	One Clean Example
Suggest a thing	sugerir + noun	Te sugiero una película.
Suggest an action	sugerir + infinitive	Te sugiero descansar.
Suggest that someone acts	sugerir que + subjunctive	Sugiero que descanses.
Ask for advice	¿Qué sugieres…?	¿Qué sugieres para el fin de semana?
Make a gentle proposal	Yo sugeriría…	Yo sugeriría llegar a las ocho.
Report a past suggestion	pretérito: sugerí / sugirió	Ella sugirió cambiar de mesa.
Say you’ve suggested before	haber + sugerido	He sugerido esa idea dos veces.

Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes

Mixing up the stems. If you write sugero or sugerio, pause and rebuild from the anchors. Present “yo” is sugiero. Past “yo” is sugerí. Those two forms pull you back on track.

Forgetting the subjunctive after “que.” In many everyday cases, sugerir que leads to subjunctive: Sugiero que vayas. If you’re stating what someone suggests as a general habit, you may still hear indicative in some contexts, yet the subjunctive pattern is the safe default for most learners.

Overusing “yo sugiero” in speech. Spanish often softens suggestions with conditional: Yo sugeriría… It sounds calm and low-pressure, which fits many social situations.

A One-Page Practice Loop You Can Repeat

If you want the forms to stick, use a small loop you can run in two minutes. No flashcards required.

Step 1: Say The Three Anchors

• sugiero
• sugiere
• sugerí

Step 2: Add One “Que” Sentence

Pick a daily action and plug it in:

• Sugiero que… + vayas / pruebes / descanses / llames

Step 3: Add One Polite Conditional

• Yo sugeriría… + infinitive

Step 4: Write One Past Line

• Ayer sugerí… + noun or infinitive

Run that loop for a week and you’ll stop hesitating on the stem change. You won’t “memorize a chart.” You’ll build a reflex for the forms that show up in real talk.