Introduction
Intuir means “to sense, to intuit”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Intuir means to sense or to intuit, and it is the verb for knowing something without proof: intuir un peligro, intuir la verdad. It is a -uir verb: yo intuyo, él intuye, with y before the vowel endings. This page shows intuir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” — I sense danger in the street.
Intuir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how intuir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use intuir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” — I sense danger in the street.
“¿Intuyes la verdad en su mirada?” — Do you sense the truth in his look?
“Intuye que algo va mal.” — He/she senses that something is wrong.
“Nosotros intuimos el resultado antes del final.” — We sense the result before the end.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show intuir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo intuí un peligro en la calle.” — Yesterday, I sensed danger in the street. (preterite)
“Antes, él intuía la verdad en su mirada.” — Before, he used to sense the truth in his look. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of intuir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros intuiremos que algo va mal.” — Tomorrow, we will sense that something is wrong. (future)
“¿Tú has intuido el resultado antes del final?” — Have you sensed the result before the end? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros intuís un peligro en la calle.” — You sense danger in the street.
“Ellos intuyen la verdad en su mirada.” — They sense the truth in his look.
“Yo intuyo que algo va mal.” — I sense that something is wrong.
“Mi padre intuye el resultado antes del final.” — My father senses the result before the end.
Intuir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how intuir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú intuyes la verdad en su mirada?” — Do you sense the truth in his look?
Pedro: “Sí, yo intuyo un peligro en la calle.” — Yes, I sense danger in the street.
Marta: “Nosotros intuimos el resultado antes del final.” — We sense the result before the end.
Pedro: “Y ellos intuyen la verdad en su mirada.” — And they sense the truth in his look.
Marta: “Vosotros intuís que algo va mal.” — You sense that something is wrong.
Pedro: “Sí, y él intuye un peligro en la calle.” — Yes, and he senses danger in the street.
A short paragraph
Intuye un peligro en la calle, y nosotros intuimos el resultado antes del final. Yo intuyo la verdad en su mirada, y ellos intuyen que algo va mal. Intuir is part of everyday life, because sense, to intuit is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with intuir
These are the errors learners actually make with intuir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo intuye un peligro en la calle.” Right: “Yo intuyo un peligro en la calle.” Why: The person matters: intuye is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is intuyo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo intuo la verdad en su mirada.” Right: “Yo intuyo la verdad en su mirada.” Why: Intuir is a -uir verb: the stem vowel i becomes y before a vowel ending, so the present is intuyo and intuye, and the gerund is intuyendo. The form intuyo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
Wrong: “Treating intuir and sospechar as identical in every context.” Right: “Intuir means to sense, to intuit, while sospechar means to suspect.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: intuir fits sentences such as Intuyo un peligro en la calle, while sospechar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy intuido la verdad en su mirada.” Right: “Yo he intuido la verdad en su mirada.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he intuido, has intuido, ha intuido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo intuí que algo va mal todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo intuía que algo va mal todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (intuía), not the preterite. The preterite (intuí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: intuir in use
Ten questions on intuir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ un peligro en la calle.” (You sense danger in the street.)
- (a) intuís
- (b) intuyo
- (c) intuyes
Answer: intuís — The vosotros/as form of intuir in the present tense is intuís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la verdad en su mirada.” (They sense the truth in his look.)
- (a) intuyes
- (b) intuyen
- (c) intuyo
Answer: intuyen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of intuir in the present tense is intuyen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ un peligro en la calle.” (Yesterday I sensed danger in the street.)
- (a) intuiste
- (b) intuyó
- (c) intuí
Answer: intuí — In the preterite, the yo form of intuir is intuí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ la verdad en su mirada.” (Before, he used to sense the truth in his look.)
- (a) intuía
- (b) intuyo
- (c) intuías
Answer: intuía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of intuir is intuía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ que algo va mal.” (Tomorrow we will sense that something is wrong.)
- (a) intuirás
- (b) intuiremos
- (c) intuiré
Answer: intuiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of intuir is intuiremos.
6. What does intuir mean in English?
- (a) to sense, to intuit
- (b) to instruct
- (c) to suspect
Answer: to sense, to intuit — Intuir means “to sense, to intuit”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo intuye un peligro en la calle.
- (b) Ellos intuye la verdad en su mirada.
- (c) Yo intuyo un peligro en la calle.
Answer: Yo intuyo un peligro en la calle. — “Yo intuyo un peligro en la calle.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I sense danger in the street.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre intuye el resultado antes del final.
- (b) Intuyo un peligro en la calle.
- (c) Intuyen un peligro en la calle.
Answer: Intuyo un peligro en la calle. — “Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of intuir in the present tense?
- (a) intuyo
- (b) intuyes
- (c) intuimos
Answer: intuimos — The nosotros form is intuimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros intuiremos que algo va mal.
- (b) Intuyo un peligro en la calle.
- (c) Ayer, yo intuí un peligro en la calle.
Answer: Intuyo un peligro en la calle. — “Intuyo un peligro en la calle.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I sense danger in the street' in Spanish?
Say 'Intuyo un peligro en la calle'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Intuyo un peligro en la calle todos los días'.
How do you say 'He senses the truth in his look' in Spanish?
Say 'Él intuye la verdad en su mirada'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes intuye.
What is the difference between intuir and sospechar?
Intuir means to sense, to intuit, while sospechar means to suspect. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use intuir when you mean to sense, to intuit, as in 'Intuyo un peligro en la calle', and use sospechar for to suspect.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of intuir — every tense of intuir in one place.
- Intuir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on intuir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of intuir until they are automatic.