Sorprender Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
sorprender means "to surprise" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows sorprender 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 sorprender, 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 sorprender
Something surprises you
Sorprender usually works like gustar: me sorprende la noticia means the news surprises me. The surprising thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me sorprende la noticia de su boda. — "Every day, the news of her wedding surprises me."
- Hoy, le sorprende el final de la película. — "Today, the end of the film surprises him."
- Ayer, me sorprendió su respuesta rápida. — "Yesterday, his quick answer surprised me."
- Antes, me sorprendía el precio tan bajo. — "Before, the very low price used to surprise me."
- Mañana, me sorprenderá la noticia de su boda. — "Tomorrow, the news of her wedding will surprise me."
- Hoy, me ha sorprendido el final de la película. — "Today, the end of the film has surprised me."
Surprising someone on purpose
Sorprender can also mean to surprise someone deliberately: quiero sorprender a mi madre means I want to surprise my mother. Here the structure is the ordinary transitive one.
- Cada día, me sorprende su respuesta rápida. — "Every day, his quick answer surprises me."
- Hoy, le sorprende el precio tan bajo. — "Today, the very low price surprises him."
- Ayer, me sorprendió la noticia de su boda. — "Yesterday, the news of her wedding surprised me."
- Antes, me sorprendía el final de la película. — "Before, the end of the film used to surprise me."
- Mañana, me sorprenderá su respuesta rápida. — "Tomorrow, his quick answer will surprise me."
- Hoy, me ha sorprendido el precio tan bajo. — "Today, the very low price has surprised me."
Sorprender in conversation
The two dialogues below show sorprender in natural conversation. The first is about something surprises you, and the second is about surprising someone on purpose. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te sorprende la noticia de su boda? — "Does the news of her wedding surprise you?"
- Sí, me sorprende la noticia de su boda mucho. — "The news of her wedding surprises me a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te sorprendió el final de la película? — "And yesterday? Did the end of the film surprised you?"
- Sí, ayer me sorprendió el final de la película mucho. — "Yesterday, the end of the film surprised me a lot."
- Mañana me sorprenderá su respuesta rápida también. — "Tomorrow, his quick answer will surprise me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os sorprende su respuesta rápida? — "Does his quick answer surprise you?"
- Sí, nos sorprende su respuesta rápida mucho. — "His quick answer surprises us a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les sorprende el precio tan bajo? — "And them? Does the very low price surprise them?"
- Sí, les sorprende el precio tan bajo también. — "The very low price surprises them. too."
- Mañana nos sorprenderá su respuesta rápida otra vez. — "Tomorrow, his quick answer will surprise us. again."
Common mistakes with sorprender in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo sorprendo la noticia.
- Right: Me sorprende la noticia.
- Why: When something surprises you, sorprender works like gustar: me sorprende la noticia. Yo sorprendo would mean I surprise someone.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me sorprende las noticias.
- Right: Me sorprenden las noticias.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las noticias is plural, so the verb must be sorprenden.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Sorprender es lo mismo que asustar.
- Right: Sorprender means to surprise; asustar means to frighten.
- Why: A surprise can be pleasant or unpleasant. Asustar is always about fear. The two verbs describe different feelings.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me sorprendió la noticia de su boda.
- Right: Cada día, me sorprende la noticia de su boda.
- 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 sorprendo la noticia de su boda.
- Right: Me sorprende la noticia de su boda.
- Why: Sorprender works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: sorprender in use
Ten questions on sorprender across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of sorprender in the present tense?
- (a) le sorprende
- (b) nos sorprende
- (c) me sorprende
- (d) te sorprende
Answer: (c) me sorprende. The i form in the present is me sorprende.
2. What is the he / she form of sorprender in the present tense?
- (a) nos sorprende
- (b) le sorprende
- (c) me sorprende
- (d) te sorprende
Answer: (b) le sorprende. The he / she form in the present is le sorprende.
3. What is the he / she form of sorprender in the preterite tense?
- (a) le sorprendió
- (b) me sorprendió
- (c) te sorprendió
- (d) nos sorprendió
Answer: (a) le sorprendió. The he / she form in the preterite is le sorprendió.
4. What is the i form of sorprender in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me sorprende
- (b) me sorprendió
- (c) me sorprenderá
- (d) me sorprendía
Answer: (d) me sorprendía. The i form in the imperfect is me sorprendía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of sorprender in the future tense?
- (a) le sorprenderá
- (b) nos sorprenderá
- (c) me sorprenderá
- (d) te sorprenderá
Answer: (c) me sorprenderá. The i form in the future is me sorprenderá.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) sorprendí
- (b) sorprendía
- (c) sorprendo
- (d) he sorprendido
Answer: (d) he sorprendido. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he sorprendido.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ la noticia de su boda.
- (a) sorprendía
- (b) sorprenda
- (c) sorprende
- (d) sorprendió
Answer: (b) sorprenda. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te sorprenda. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of sorprender in the present tense?
- (a) me sorprende
- (b) te sorprende
- (c) le sorprende
- (d) nos sorprende
Answer: (d) nos sorprende. The we form in the present is nos sorprende.
9. What is the i form of sorprender in the preterite tense?
- (a) le sorprendió
- (b) nos sorprendió
- (c) me sorprendió
- (d) te sorprendió
Answer: (c) me sorprendió. The i form in the preterite is me sorprendió.
10. What is the they form of sorprender in the present tense?
- (a) le sorprende
- (b) les sorprende
- (c) me sorprende
- (d) te sorprende
Answer: (b) les sorprende. The they form in the present is les sorprende.
Frequently asked questions about sorprender
Why is it 'me sorprende' and not 'yo sorprendo'?
Because sorprender usually works like gustar. The surprising thing is the subject and you are the indirect object: me sorprende la noticia.
Is sorprender regular?
Yes. Sorprender is a regular -er verb: sorprendo, sorprendiste, sorprendía, sorprenderé. The gerund is sorprendiendo and the participle is sorprendido.
Can sorprender take a person as its object?
Yes, in the transitive use: sorprendo a mi madre means I surprise my mother. Then the person is the direct object, with the personal a.
How can I practise sorprender?
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.