Sonreír Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish

Introduction

sonreír means "to smile" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows sonreír in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of sonreír, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.

Example sentences with sonreír

Smiling at someone

Sonreír a alguien means to smile at a person: sonrío a los niños. The personal a is required, and it is the warmest use of this verb.

  1. Cada día, yo sonrío a los niños en la foto. — "Every day, I smile at the children in the photo."
  2. Hoy, él / ella sonríe con amabilidad al cliente. — "Today, he / she smiles kindly at the customer."
  3. Ayer, yo sonreí al ver a su amigo. — "Yesterday, I smiled on seeing her friend."
  4. Antes, yo sonreía en la entrevista de trabajo. — "Before, I used to smile in the job interview."
  5. Mañana, yo sonreiré a los niños en la foto. — "Tomorrow, I will smile at the children in the photo."
  6. Hoy, yo he sonreído con amabilidad al cliente. — "Today, I have smiled kindly at the customer."

Smiling in a situation

Sonreír en una situación means to smile in a situation: sonrío en la entrevista. It is about your expression, and it appears in descriptions of people and moments.

  1. Cada día, yo sonrío al ver a su amigo. — "Every day, I smile on seeing her friend."
  2. Hoy, él / ella sonríe en la entrevista de trabajo. — "Today, he / she smiles in the job interview."
  3. Ayer, yo sonreí a los niños en la foto. — "Yesterday, I smiled at the children in the photo."
  4. Antes, yo sonreía con amabilidad al cliente. — "Before, I used to smile kindly at the customer."
  5. Mañana, yo sonreiré al ver a su amigo. — "Tomorrow, I will smile on seeing her friend."
  6. Hoy, yo he sonreído en la entrevista de trabajo. — "Today, I have smiled in the job interview."

Sonreír in conversation

The two dialogues below show sonreír in natural conversation. The first is about smiling at someone, and the second is about smiling in a situation. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.

Dialogue 1

  • ¿Tú sonríes a los niños en la foto? — "Do you smile at the children in the photo?"
  • Sí, yo sonrío a los niños en la foto cada día. — "Yes, I smile at the children in the photo every day."
  • ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú sonreíste con amabilidad al cliente? — "And yesterday? Did you smile kindly at the customer?"
  • Sí, ayer yo sonreí con amabilidad al cliente. — "Yes, yesterday I smiled kindly at the customer."
  • Mañana yo sonreiré al ver a su amigo también. — "Tomorrow I will smile on seeing her friend too."

Dialogue 2

  • ¿Vosotros sonreís al ver a su amigo? — "Do you smile on seeing her friend?"
  • Sí, nosotros sonreímos al ver a su amigo los fines de semana. — "Yes, we smile on seeing her friend at the weekends."
  • ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos sonríen en la entrevista de trabajo? — "And them? Do they smile in the job interview?"
  • Sí, ellos sonríen en la entrevista de trabajo también. — "Yes, they smile in the job interview too."
  • Mañana nosotros sonreiremos al ver a su amigo otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will smile on seeing her friend again."

Common mistakes with sonreír in everyday use

Mistake 1

  • Wrong: Ayer yo sonreíste a los niños.
  • Right: Ayer yo sonreí a los niños.
  • Why: The yo form of the preterite is sonreí. Sonreíste is the tú form: tú sonreíste a los niños.

Mistake 2

  • Wrong: Yo sonrío los niños.
  • Right: Yo sonrío a los niños.
  • Why: When the object is a person, sonreír needs the personal a: sonrío a los niños, sonrío a mi amigo.

Mistake 3

  • Wrong: Sonreír es lo mismo que reír.
  • Right: Sonreír means to smile; reír means to laugh.
  • Why: Sonreír is quiet and visible. Reír is loud and audible. You sonreír at a friend; you reír at a joke.

Mistake 4

  • Wrong: Cada día, yo sonreí a los niños en la foto.
  • Right: Cada día, yo sonrío a los niños en la foto.
  • Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.

Mistake 5

  • Wrong: Yo sonrío a los niños en la foto ayer por la mañana.
  • Right: Ayer por la mañana yo sonreí a los niños en la foto.
  • Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.

Quiz: sonreír in use

Ten questions on sonreír across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.

1. What is the i form of sonreír in the present tense?

  • (a) sonríe
  • (b) sonreímos
  • (c) sonrío
  • (d) sonríes

Answer: (c) sonrío. The i form in the present is sonrío.

2. What is the he / she form of sonreír in the present tense?

  • (a) sonreímos
  • (b) sonríe
  • (c) sonrío
  • (d) sonríes

Answer: (b) sonríe. The he / she form in the present is sonríe.

3. What is the he / she form of sonreír in the preterite tense?

  • (a) sonrió
  • (b) sonreí
  • (c) sonreíste
  • (d) sonreímos

Answer: (a) sonrió. The he / she form in the preterite is sonrió.

4. What is the i form of sonreír in the imperfect tense?

  • (a) sonrío
  • (b) sonreí
  • (c) sonreiré
  • (d) sonreía

Answer: (d) sonreía. The i form in the imperfect is sonreía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.

5. What is the i form of sonreír in the future tense?

  • (a) sonreirá
  • (b) sonreiremos
  • (c) sonreiré
  • (d) sonreirás

Answer: (c) sonreiré. The i form in the future is sonreiré.

6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?

  • (a) sonreí
  • (b) sonreía
  • (c) sonrío
  • (d) he sonreído

Answer: (d) he sonreído. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he sonreído.

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los niños en la foto.

  • (a) sonreía
  • (b) sonría
  • (c) sonríe
  • (d) sonrió

Answer: (b) sonría. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: sonría. The indicative form would be wrong here.

8. What is the we form of sonreír in the present tense?

  • (a) sonrío
  • (b) sonríes
  • (c) sonríe
  • (d) sonreímos

Answer: (d) sonreímos. The we form in the present is sonreímos.

9. What is the i form of sonreír in the preterite tense?

  • (a) sonrió
  • (b) sonreímos
  • (c) sonreí
  • (d) sonreíste

Answer: (c) sonreí. The i form in the preterite is sonreí.

10. What is the they form of sonreír in the present tense?

  • (a) sonríe
  • (b) sonríen
  • (c) sonrío
  • (d) sonríes

Answer: (b) sonríen. The they form in the present is sonríen.

Frequently asked questions about sonreír

Is the preterite of sonreír regular?

No. The third person forms change the vowel: él sonrió, ellos sonrieron, and the gerund is sonriendo. The yo form is sonreí, with an accent on the í.

What is the gerund of sonreír?

Sonriendo. The progressive is estar + gerund: estoy sonriendo. The past participle is sonreído: he sonreído mucho.

Does sonreír take the personal a?

Yes, before a person: sonrío a los niños. Before a situation it takes en: sonrío en la entrevista.

How can I practise sonreír?

Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.

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