Suponer Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
suponer means "to suppose" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows suponer 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 suponer, 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 suponer
Supposing something is true
Suponer que means to assume something without proof: supongo que la reunión es mañana. It is the verb Spanish speakers use when they reason from incomplete information.
- Cada día, yo supongo que la reunión es mañana. — "Every day, I suppose that the meeting is tomorrow."
- Hoy, él / ella supone un problema grave. — "Today, he / she supposes a serious problem."
- Ayer, yo supuse que el tren llega tarde. — "Yesterday, I supposed that the train is late."
- Antes, yo suponía lo peor. — "Before, I used to suppose the worst."
- Mañana, yo supondré que la reunión es mañana. — "Tomorrow, I will suppose that the meeting is tomorrow."
- Hoy, yo he supuesto un problema grave. — "Today, I have supposed a serious problem."
Suponer as 'to involve'
Suponer can also mean that something involves or entails a cost or an effort: este proyecto supone mucho trabajo. In this use it takes a direct object and no que.
- Cada día, yo supongo que el tren llega tarde. — "Every day, I suppose that the train is late."
- Hoy, él / ella supone lo peor. — "Today, he / she supposes the worst."
- Ayer, yo supuse que la reunión es mañana. — "Yesterday, I supposed that the meeting is tomorrow."
- Antes, yo suponía un problema grave. — "Before, I used to suppose a serious problem."
- Mañana, yo supondré que el tren llega tarde. — "Tomorrow, I will suppose that the train is late."
- Hoy, yo he supuesto lo peor. — "Today, I have supposed the worst."
Suponer in conversation
The two dialogues below show suponer in natural conversation. The first is about supposing something is true, and the second is about suponer as 'to involve'. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú supones que la reunión es mañana? — "Do you suppose that the meeting is tomorrow?"
- Sí, yo supongo que la reunión es mañana cada día. — "Yes, I suppose that the meeting is tomorrow every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú supusiste un problema grave? — "And yesterday? Did you suppose a serious problem?"
- Sí, ayer yo supuse un problema grave. — "Yes, yesterday I supposed a serious problem."
- Mañana yo supondré que el tren llega tarde también. — "Tomorrow I will suppose that the train is late too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros suponéis que el tren llega tarde? — "Do you suppose that the train is late?"
- Sí, nosotros suponemos que el tren llega tarde los fines de semana. — "Yes, we suppose that the train is late at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos suponen lo peor? — "And them? Do they suppose the worst?"
- Sí, ellos suponen lo peor también. — "Yes, they suppose the worst too."
- Mañana nosotros supondremos que el tren llega tarde otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will suppose that the train is late again."
Common mistakes with suponer in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Ayer yo suponí que era verdad.
- Right: Ayer yo supuse que era verdad.
- Why: The preterite of suponer is irregular: supuse, supusiste, supuso. The regular-looking form suponí does not exist.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: He suponido que era verdad.
- Right: He supuesto que era verdad.
- Why: The past participle is supuesto, not suponido. It is one of the irregular participles you have to memorise: supuesto, like puesto and compuesto.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Suponer es lo mismo que pensar.
- Right: Suponer means to assume without proof; pensar means to think.
- Why: Pensar is the general verb for thinking. Suponer is narrower: it means you take something as true for the moment, even though you cannot prove it.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo supuse que la reunión es mañana.
- Right: Cada día, yo supongo que la reunión es mañana.
- 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 supongo que la reunión es mañana ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo supuse que la reunión es mañana.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: suponer in use
Ten questions on suponer across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of suponer in the present tense?
- (a) supone
- (b) suponemos
- (c) supongo
- (d) supones
Answer: (c) supongo. The i form in the present is supongo.
2. What is the he / she form of suponer in the present tense?
- (a) suponemos
- (b) supone
- (c) supongo
- (d) supones
Answer: (b) supone. The he / she form in the present is supone.
3. What is the he / she form of suponer in the preterite tense?
- (a) supuso
- (b) supuse
- (c) supusiste
- (d) supusimos
Answer: (a) supuso. The he / she form in the preterite is supuso.
4. What is the i form of suponer in the imperfect tense?
- (a) supongo
- (b) supuse
- (c) supondré
- (d) suponía
Answer: (d) suponía. The i form in the imperfect is suponía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of suponer in the future tense?
- (a) supondrá
- (b) supondremos
- (c) supondré
- (d) supondrás
Answer: (c) supondré. The i form in the future is supondré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) supuse
- (b) suponía
- (c) supongo
- (d) he supuesto
Answer: (d) he supuesto. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he supuesto.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ que la reunión es mañana.
- (a) suponía
- (b) suponga
- (c) supone
- (d) supuso
Answer: (b) suponga. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: suponga. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of suponer in the present tense?
- (a) supongo
- (b) supones
- (c) supone
- (d) suponemos
Answer: (d) suponemos. The we form in the present is suponemos.
9. What is the i form of suponer in the preterite tense?
- (a) supuso
- (b) supusimos
- (c) supuse
- (d) supusiste
Answer: (c) supuse. The i form in the preterite is supuse.
10. What is the they form of suponer in the present tense?
- (a) supone
- (b) suponen
- (c) supongo
- (d) supones
Answer: (b) suponen. The they form in the present is suponen.
Frequently asked questions about suponer
Is the preterite of suponer regular?
No. It uses the irregular stem supus-: supuse, supusiste, supuso, supusimos, supusisteis, supusieron. The same stem appears in the imperfect subjunctive.
What is the past participle of suponer?
Supuesto. All the perfect tenses use it: he supuesto, había supuesto, habré supuesto. Do not write suponido.
What is the difference between suponer and imaginar?
Imaginar means to picture something in your mind. Suponer means to take something as true as a working assumption. You can suponer something without imagining it at all.
How can I practise suponer?
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.