Aturdir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aturdir means “to stun, to daze” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Aturdir means to stun or to daze, to leave someone confused or dizzy with a blow, a noise or news. It is a fully regular -ir verb used in sport, medicine and everyday speech. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of aturdir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aturdir present tense page.

aturdir in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo aturdo al rival con un golpe. — “I stun the rival with a blow.”
  2. Él aturde con el ruido de la obra. — “He stuns with the noise from the building work.”
  3. Nosotros aturdimos a su madre con la noticia. — “We stun his mother with the news.”
  4. Ellos aturden al portero con el disparo. — “They stun the goalkeeper with the shot.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo aturdí con el ruido de la obra. — “Yesterday, I stunned with the noise from the building work.”
  2. Antes, nosotros aturdíamos a su madre con la noticia. — “Before, we used to stun his mother with the news.”
  3. Él aturdió al portero con el disparo. — “He stunned the goalkeeper with the shot.”
  4. Yo ya había aturdido al rival con un golpe antes de salir. — “I had already stunned the rival with a blow before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú aturdirás al rival con un golpe. — “Tomorrow, you will stun the rival with a blow.”
  2. Yo aturdiría con el ruido de la obra si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would stun with the noise from the building work if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha aturdido a su madre con la noticia. — “He has stunned his mother with the news.”
  4. Espero que él aturda al portero con el disparo. — “I hope he stuns the goalkeeper with the shot.”

aturdir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use aturdir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo aturdo al rival con un golpe. — “I stun the rival with a blow.”
  • Bea: Él aturde con el ruido de la obra. — “He stuns with the noise from the building work.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo aturdí con el ruido de la obra. — “Yesterday, I stunned with the noise from the building work.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú aturdirás al rival con un golpe. — “Tomorrow, you will stun the rival with a blow.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros aturdimos a su madre con la noticia. — “We stun his mother with the news.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros aturdíamos a su madre con la noticia. — “Before, we used to stun his mother with the news.”
  • Luis: Yo aturdiría con el ruido de la obra si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would stun with the noise from the building work if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él aturda al portero con el disparo. — “I hope he stuns the goalkeeper with the shot.”

A short scene with aturdir

A short scene shows how aturdir works across the day. In the morning: Aturdo al rival con un golpe. In the afternoon: Aturde con el ruido de la obra. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, aturdí a su madre con la noticia. And tomorrow: Mañana, aturdiré al portero con el disparo. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how aturdir sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with aturdir

The errors learners actually make with aturdir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo aturde al rival con un golpe.

✓ Correct: Yo aturdo al rival con un golpe.

The person matters: aturde is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aturdo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo aturdo con el ruido de la obra.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo aturdí con el ruido de la obra.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: aturdo is happening now, while aturdí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating aturdir and confundir as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Aturdir means to stun, to daze, while confundir means to confuse.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aturdir fits sentences such as Aturdo al rival con un golpe, while confundir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy aturdido con el ruido de la obra.

✓ Correct: Yo he aturdido con el ruido de la obra.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aturdido, has aturdido, ha aturdido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo aturdí a su madre con la noticia todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo aturdía a su madre con la noticia todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aturdía), not the preterite. The preterite (aturdí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: aturdir in use

Ten questions on aturdir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con el ruido de la obra. — “He/she stuns with the noise from the building work.”

  • a) aturde
  • b) aturdo
  • c) aturdes
  • d) aturdimos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a su madre con la noticia. — “Yesterday, I stunned his mother with the news.”

  • a) aturdiste
  • b) aturdió
  • c) aturdieron
  • d) aturdí

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al portero con el disparo cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to stun the goalkeeper with the shot when they were young.”

  • a) aturdías
  • b) aturdíamos
  • c) aturdían
  • d) aturdía

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ al rival con un golpe. — “Tomorrow, we will stun the rival with a blow.”

  • a) aturdirán
  • b) aturdiremos
  • c) aturdiré
  • d) aturdirás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con el ruido de la obra si pudiera. — “He would stun with the noise from the building work if he could.”

  • a) aturdiría
  • b) aturdirías
  • c) aturdiríamos
  • d) aturdo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su madre con la noticia. — “I have stunned his mother with the news.”

  • a) has aturdido
  • b) ha aturdido
  • c) han aturdido
  • d) he aturdido

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ al portero con el disparo. — “I hope you stun the goalkeeper with the shot.”

  • a) aturdamos
  • b) aturdo
  • c) aturdas
  • d) aturda

8. Which is the past participle of aturdir, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) aturdí
  • b) aturdido
  • c) aturdiendo
  • d) aturdo

9. What does aturdir mean in English?

  • a) to stun, to daze
  • b) to confuse
  • c) to whip, to lash
  • d) to joke

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él aturde con el ruido de la obra.
  • b) Él aturdo con el ruido de la obra.
  • c) Nosotros aturde a su madre con la noticia.
  • d) Yo aturde al rival con un golpe.

Answer key

  1. a) aturde — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: aturde.

  2. d) aturdí — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: aturdí, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) aturdían — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: aturdían, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) aturdiremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: aturdiremos.

  5. a) aturdiría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: aturdiría.

  6. d) he aturdido — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he aturdido, haber + aturdido.

  7. c) aturdas — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is aturdas.

  8. b) aturdido — The past participle is aturdido: he aturdido, has aturdido, ha aturdido. The gerund aturdiendo is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to stun, to daze — aturdir means to stun, to daze. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él aturde con el ruido de la obra. — Él aturde con el ruido de la obra. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use aturdir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Aturdo al rival con un golpe and Aturde con el ruido de la obra. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between aturdir and confundir?

Aturdir means “to stun, to daze”, while confundir means “to confuse”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use aturdir when you mean “to stun, to daze” and confundir when you mean “to confuse”.

Which tense do I need most with aturdir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use aturdir most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is aturdir formal or informal?

Aturdir is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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