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souffrir

to suffer

verb soo-FREER Less Common

Also means

to be in pain

Usage Note

Souffrir is an irregular verb conjugated like ouvrir: je souffre, tu souffres, il souffre. Beyond physical pain, it expresses emotional anguish — souffrir en silence means to suffer in silence. The noun la souffrance (suffering) and the adjective souffrant (unwell, poorly) share the same root.

Examples

"Elle souffre d'un mal de tête."

Natural Translation

She is suffering from a headache.

Literal Translation

She suffers of a pain of head

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