Soltar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

soltar means "to let go, to release" 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. Soltar means to let go of something you are holding, or to release it: soltar la cuerda, soltar a su perro. It also means to let out a laugh or a remark: soltar una carcajada. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, 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 soltar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the soltar present tense page.

soltar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly"
  2. Mi amigo suelta el globo en el parque — "My friend lets go the balloon in the park"
  3. Mañana, tú soltarás una carcajada en clase — "Tomorrow, you will let go a burst of laughter in class"
  4. Yo soltaría el freno de mano si pudiera — "I would let go the handbrake if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo solté la cuerda de repente — "Yesterday, I let go the rope suddenly"
  2. Antes, nosotros soltábamos el globo en el parque — "Before, we used to let go the balloon in the park"
  3. Él ha soltado una carcajada en clase — "He has let go a burst of laughter in class"
  4. Yo ya había soltado el freno de mano antes de salir — "I already had let go the handbrake before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él suelte la cuerda de repente — "I hope he lets go the rope suddenly"
  2. Si yo soltara el globo en el parque, todo cambiaría — "If I let go the balloon in the park, everything would change"
  3. Suelta una carcajada en clase. — "Let go a burst of laughter in class."
  4. Yo habría soltado el freno de mano con más tiempo — "I would have let go the handbrake with more time"

soltar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use soltar 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 it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly"
  • Marcos: Él suelta el globo en el parque — "He lets go the balloon in the park"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo solté una carcajada en clase — "Yesterday, I let go a burst of laughter in class"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú soltarás el freno de mano — "Tomorrow, you will let go the handbrake"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Suelta a su perro en el campo. — "Let go his dog in the field."
  • Lucía: Él ha soltado la cuerda de repente — "He has let go the rope suddenly"
  • Marcos: Espero que él suelte el globo en el parque — "I hope he lets go the balloon in the park"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo soltaba una carcajada en clase — "Before, I used to let go a burst of laughter in class"

Common mistakes with soltar

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

✗ *Yo solto el freno de mano.

✓ Correct: Yo suelto el freno de mano.

soltar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is suelto, not solto.

✗ *Espero que él suelta el freno de mano

✓ Correct: Espero que él suelte el freno de mano

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él suelte el freno de mano — not the indicative Espero que él suelta el freno de mano.

✗ *Ayer, yo suelto a su perro en el campo

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo solté a su perro en el campo

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo solté a su perro en el campo.

✗ *De niño, yo solté la cuerda de repente todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo soltaba la cuerda de repente todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo soltaba la cuerda de repente todos los días.

✗ *Yo suelto en una carcajada en clase.

✓ Correct: Yo suelto una carcajada en clase.

soltar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo suelto una carcajada en clase.

Quiz: soltar in use

Ten questions on soltar — 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: Yo ______ la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly" (present) A. sueltas B. suelta C. soltamos D. suelto

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el globo en el parque — "Yesterday, I let go the balloon in the park" (preterite) A. soltamos B. solté C. soltaste D. soltó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ una carcajada en clase — "Before, we used to let go a burst of laughter in class" (imperfect) A. soltabais B. soltábamos C. soltaba D. soltabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el freno de mano — "Tomorrow, you will let go the handbrake" (future) A. soltaré B. soltará C. soltaremos D. soltarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su perro en el campo — "I would let go his dog in the field" (conditional) A. soltaríamos B. soltaríais C. soltaría D. soltarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la cuerda de repente — "He has let go the rope suddenly" (present perfect) A. hemos soltado B. ha soltado C. he soltado D. has soltado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el globo en el parque — "I hope he lets go the balloon in the park" (present subjunctive) A. sueltes B. soltemos C. soltéis D. suelte

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ una carcajada en clase. — "Let go a burst of laughter in class." (affirmative imperative) A. soltad B. suelta C. suelte D. soltemos

  9. Which is the gerund of soltar, used with estar for the progressive? A. solté B. soltando C. soltado D. suelto

  10. What does soltar mean in English? A. to leave, to let B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to let go

Answer key

  1. suelto — The present form for yo is suelto.
  2. solté — The preterite form for yo is solté.
  3. soltábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is soltábamos.
  4. soltarás — The future form for tú is soltarás.
  5. soltaría — The conditional form for yo is soltaría.
  6. ha soltado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha soltado.
  7. suelte — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is suelte.
  8. suelta — The affirmative imperative form is suelta.
  9. soltando — The gerund of soltar is soltando: estoy soltando. The participle soltado is used with haber instead.
  10. to let go — soltar means to let go.

Frequently asked questions

What does soltar mean in English?

soltar means to let go, to release. For example: Yo suelto la cuerda de repente — "I let go the rope suddenly". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with soltar?

soltar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is soltar regular?

No. soltar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: suelto, sueltas, suelta and sueltan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: soltamos, soltáis.

How do I practise soltar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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