Sonreír Preterite Tense in Spanish
Introduction
sonreír means "to smile" in English, and the preterite tense is the form you use when you talk about one action that started and finished in the past. This page gives you the full preterite-tense table for sonreír, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Ayer, yo sonreí a los niños en la foto. — "Yesterday, I smiled at the children in the photo." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The preterite tense of sonreír: full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | sonreí |
| Tú | sonreíste |
| Él / Ella | sonrió |
| Nosotros | sonreímos |
| Vosotros | sonreísteis |
| Ellos | sonrieron |
The gerund of sonreír is sonriendo and the past participle is sonreído. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy sonriendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he sonreído).
How the preterite of sonreír is formed
The preterite of sonreír is mostly regular, with one important change in the third person: the stem vowel e becomes i, so él sonrió and ellos sonrieron, with an accent on the ó and the e of sonrieron. The full set is sonreí, sonreíste, sonrió, sonreímos, sonreísteis and sonrieron. The same vowel change appears in the gerund, sonriendo, and in the present subjunctive. The yo form sonreí carries a written accent on the í.
The past participle is sonreído, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he sonreído. The gerund is sonriendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy sonriendo. Both forms are worth memorising alongside the preterite, because they appear together in real conversation.
When to use the preterite tense with sonreír
1. Smiling at children
Ayer sonreí a los niños en la foto is the kindest use of this verb. The preterite sonreí marks a completed moment in the past, and the sentence belongs to a specific photo. For example: Ayer, yo sonreí a los niños en la foto. — "Yesterday, I smiled at the children in the photo."
2. Smiling at a customer
Sonrío con amabilidad al cliente shows the verb with an adverb of manner. It means you smile kindly, and it is the language of service and politeness. For example: Ayer, tú sonreíste con amabilidad al cliente. — "Yesterday, you smiled kindly at the customer."
3. Smiling in a job interview
Sonrío en la entrevista de trabajo is the professional use: it means you smile during the interview, and it is advice as much as description. For example: Ayer, él / ella sonrió al ver a su amigo. — "Yesterday, he / she smiled on seeing her friend."
4. Sequences of completed actions
The preterite is the tense of sequences: one finished action after another. When you tell a story about yesterday, the preterite carries the plot forward, one event at a time. For example: Ayer, nosotros sonreímos en la entrevista de trabajo. — "Yesterday, we smiled in the job interview." — and the next sentence would give the next event in the sequence.
Preterite vs imperfect: sonreír
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes one action that started and finished, while the imperfect describes a habit, a background or an action in progress in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with sonreír.
Pair 1
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo sonreí a los niños en la foto. — "Yesterday, I smiled at the children in the photo."
- Imperfect (habit or background): Antes, yo sonreía a los niños en la foto. — "Before, I used to smile at the children in the photo."
The first sentence describes something that happened once and is finished. The second describes something that used to happen regularly. If you can add ayer, use the preterite; if you can add antes or cada día in the past, use the imperfect.
Pair 2
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo sonreí con amabilidad al cliente. — "Yesterday, I smiled kindly at the customer."
- Imperfect (habit or background): Antes, yo sonreía con amabilidad al cliente. — "Before, I used to smile kindly at the customer."
The first sentence describes something that happened once and is finished. The second describes something that used to happen regularly. If you can add ayer, use the preterite; if you can add antes or cada día in the past, use the imperfect.
Pair 3
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo sonreí al ver a su amigo. — "Yesterday, I smiled on seeing her friend."
- Imperfect (habit or background): Antes, yo sonreía al ver a su amigo. — "Before, I used to smile on seeing her friend."
The first sentence describes something that happened once and is finished. The second describes something that used to happen regularly. If you can add ayer, use the preterite; if you can add antes or cada día in the past, use the imperfect.
Examples: sonreír in the preterite tense
These six sentences show sonreír in the preterite tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo sonreí a los niños en la foto. — "I smiled at the children in the photo."
- Tú sonreíste con amabilidad al cliente. — "You smiled kindly at the customer."
- Él / Ella sonrió al ver a su amigo. — "He / She smiled on seeing her friend."
- Nosotros sonreímos en la entrevista de trabajo. — "We smiled in the job interview."
- Vosotros sonreísteis a los niños en la foto. — "You smiled at the children in the photo."
- Ellos sonrieron con amabilidad al cliente. — "They smiled kindly at the customer."
Common mistakes with sonreír in the preterite tense
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 sonrei a los niños en la foto.
- Right: Yo sonreí a los niños en la foto.
- Why: The form is sonreí, with a written accent. The accent is part of the spelling, and without it the word is misspelled.
Quiz: the preterite tense of sonreír
Test yourself with eight questions on the preterite tense of sonreír. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of sonreír in the preterite tense?
- (a) sonreí
- (b) sonreíste
- (c) sonrió
- (d) sonreímos
Answer: (a) sonreí. The i form is sonreí. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the you form of sonreír in the preterite tense?
- (a) sonreí
- (b) sonrió
- (c) sonreímos
- (d) sonreíste
Answer: (d) sonreíste. The you form is sonreíste. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the he / she form of sonreír in the preterite tense?
- (a) sonreíste
- (b) sonreímos
- (c) sonrió
- (d) sonreí
Answer: (c) sonrió. The he / she form is sonrió. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the we form of sonreír in the preterite tense?
- (a) sonrió
- (b) sonreímos
- (c) sonreí
- (d) sonreíste
Answer: (b) sonreímos. The we form is sonreímos. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the they form of sonreír in the preterite tense?
- (a) sonrieron
- (b) sonreí
- (c) sonreíste
- (d) sonrió
Answer: (a) sonrieron. The they form is sonrieron. The other options are the yo, tu, el forms, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ a los niños en la foto.
- (a) sonrió
- (b) sonreímos
- (c) sonreí
- (d) sonreíste
Answer: (c) sonreí. The sentence needs the yo form sonreí (Yesterday, I smiled at the children in the photo.)
7. What is the past participle of sonreír?
- (a) sonriendo
- (b) sonreír
- (c) sonrió
- (d) sonreído
Answer: (d) sonreído. The past participle is sonreído, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he sonreído.
8. Which sentence describes one action that was completed yesterday?
- (a) Cada día, yo sonrío con amabilidad al cliente.
- (b) Ayer, yo sonreí con amabilidad al cliente.
- (c) Mañana, yo sonreiré con amabilidad al cliente.
- (d) Antes, yo sonreía con amabilidad al cliente.
Answer: (b) Ayer, yo sonreí con amabilidad al cliente.. Ayer, yo sonreí con amabilidad al cliente. (Yesterday, I smiled kindly at the customer.) describes one completed action, so it uses the preterite. Cada día, yo sonrío con amabilidad al cliente. is a habit, and Antes, yo sonreía con amabilidad al cliente. is a repeated past action.
Frequently asked questions about the preterite tense of 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.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect with sonreír?
Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo sonreí a los niños en la foto. — "Yesterday, I smiled at the children in the photo." Use the imperfect for a habit or background in the past: Antes, yo sonreía a los niños en la foto. — "Before, I used to smile at the children in the photo." If the action happened once and is finished, choose the preterite; if it used to happen regularly, choose the imperfect.