Sonar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

sonar means "to sound, to ring" 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. Sonar means to sound or to ring: suena el teléfono, suena la campana. It also means to sound like something: suena bien means it sounds good. Do not confuse it with soñar, to dream — one vowel changes the meaning completely. 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 sonar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the sonar present tense page.

sonar 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 sueno el teléfono en la cocina — "I ring the telephone in the kitchen"
  2. Mi amigo suena la campana de la iglesia — "My friend rings the church bell"
  3. Mañana, tú sonarás la alarma a las siete — "Tomorrow, you will ring the alarm at seven"
  4. Yo sonaría la música en la calle si pudiera — "I would ring the music in the street 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 soné el teléfono en la cocina — "Yesterday, I rang the telephone in the kitchen"
  2. Antes, nosotros sonábamos la campana de la iglesia — "Before, we used to ring the church bell"
  3. Él ha sonado la alarma a las siete — "He has rung the alarm at seven"
  4. Yo ya había sonado la música en la calle antes de salir — "I already had rung the music in the street 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 suene el teléfono en la cocina — "I hope he rings the telephone in the kitchen"
  2. Si yo sonara la campana de la iglesia, todo cambiaría — "If I rang the church bell, everything would change"
  3. Suena la alarma a las siete. — "Ring the alarm at seven."
  4. Yo habría sonado la música en la calle con más tiempo — "I would have rung the music in the street with more time"

sonar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use sonar 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 sueno el teléfono en la cocina — "I ring the telephone in the kitchen"
  • Marcos: Él suena la campana de la iglesia — "He rings the church bell"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo soné la alarma a las siete — "Yesterday, I rang the alarm at seven"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú sonarás la música en la calle — "Tomorrow, you will ring the music in the street"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Suena el timbre de la puerta. — "Ring the doorbell."
  • Lucía: Él ha sonado el teléfono en la cocina — "He has rung the telephone in the kitchen"
  • Marcos: Espero que él suene la campana de la iglesia — "I hope he rings the church bell"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo sonaba la alarma a las siete — "Before, I used to ring the alarm at seven"

Common mistakes with sonar

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

✗ *Yo sono la música en la calle.

✓ Correct: Yo sueno la música en la calle.

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

✗ *Espero que él suena la música en la calle

✓ Correct: Espero que él suene la música en la calle

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él suene la música en la calle — not the indicative Espero que él suena la música en la calle.

✗ *Ayer, yo sueno el timbre de la puerta

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo soné el timbre de la puerta

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo soné el timbre de la puerta.

✗ *De niño, yo soné el teléfono en la cocina todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo sonaba el teléfono en la cocina todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo sonaba el teléfono en la cocina todos los días.

✗ *Yo sueno en la alarma a las siete.

✓ Correct: Yo sueno la alarma a las siete.

sonar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo sueno la alarma a las siete.

Quiz: sonar in use

Ten questions on sonar — 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 ______ el teléfono en la cocina — "I ring the telephone in the kitchen" (present) A. sonamos B. sueno C. suenas D. suena

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la campana de la iglesia — "Yesterday, I rang the church bell" (preterite) A. sonamos B. soné C. sonaste D. sonó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la alarma a las siete — "Before, we used to ring the alarm at seven" (imperfect) A. sonabas B. sonabais C. sonábamos D. sonaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ la música en la calle — "Tomorrow, you will ring the music in the street" (future) A. sonarás B. sonaré C. sonará D. sonaremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el timbre de la puerta — "I would ring the doorbell" (conditional) A. sonaríais B. sonaría C. sonarías D. sonaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el teléfono en la cocina — "He has rung the telephone in the kitchen" (present perfect) A. he sonado B. has sonado C. hemos sonado D. ha sonado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la campana de la iglesia — "I hope he rings the church bell" (present subjunctive) A. suenes B. sonemos C. sonéis D. suene

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la alarma a las siete. — "Ring the alarm at seven." (affirmative imperative) A. sonemos B. sonad C. suena D. suene

  9. Which is the gerund of sonar, used with estar for the progressive? A. sonado B. sueno C. soné D. sonando

  10. What does sonar mean in English? A. to cross B. to sound C. to dream D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. sueno — The present form for yo is sueno.
  2. soné — The preterite form for yo is soné.
  3. sonábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is sonábamos.
  4. sonarás — The future form for tú is sonarás.
  5. sonaría — The conditional form for yo is sonaría.
  6. ha sonado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha sonado.
  7. suene — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is suene.
  8. suena — The affirmative imperative form is suena.
  9. sonando — The gerund of sonar is sonando: estoy sonando. The participle sonado is used with haber instead.
  10. to sound — sonar means to sound.

Frequently asked questions

What does sonar mean in English?

sonar means to sound, to ring. For example: Yo sueno el teléfono en la cocina — "I ring the telephone in the kitchen". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with sonar?

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

Is sonar regular?

No. sonar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: sueno, suenas, suena and suenan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: sonamos, sonáis.

How do I practise sonar?

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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