Susurrar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

susurrar means "to whisper" 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. Susurrar means "to whisper" — to speak very quietly so only someone close can hear. It is also used for the whisper of wind, water and leaves: el viento susurra, the wind whispers. It is the quiet opposite of gritar, and it appears in libraries, in cinemas, in secrets and in bedtime stories. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and its present tense is soft, everyday language — children whisper in class, friends whisper secrets, the wind whispers through the trees. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, 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 susurrar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the susurrar present tense page.

susurrar in everyday use: examples with translations

Whispering secrets

  1. Tú susurras un secreto a tu amiga. — "You whisper a secret to your friend."
  2. Mi madre me susurra al oído. — "My mother whispers in my ear."
  3. Ayer yo te susurré un secreto. — "Yesterday I whispered a secret to you."
  4. De niño, yo susurraba en clase siempre. — "As a child, I always used to whisper in class."

Whispering in quiet places

  1. Nosotros susurramos en la biblioteca. — "We whisper in the library."
  2. Yo susurro en el cine. — "I whisper in the cinema."
  3. Nosotros susurraremos en el teatro. — "We will whisper in the theatre."
  4. Yo he susurrado toda la película. — "I have whispered through the whole film."

Nature whispering

  1. El viento susurra entre los árboles. — "The wind whispers through the trees."
  2. El río susurra entre las piedras. — "The river whispers between the stones."
  3. El viento susurraría si hubiera hojas. — "The wind would whisper if there were leaves."
  4. Ellos susurran para que nadie les oiga. — "They whisper so nobody hears them."

susurrar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use susurrar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

In the library, two students whisper.

  • Ana: Nosotros susurramos en la biblioteca. — "We whisper in the library."
  • Bea: ¿Tú susurras un secreto a tu amiga? — "Do you whisper a secret to your friend?"
  • Ana: Yo susurro en el cine. — "I whisper in the cinema."
  • Bea: Ayer yo te susurré un secreto. — "Yesterday I whispered a secret to you."

At night, the wind whispers through the trees.

  • Abuelo: El viento susurra entre los árboles. — "The wind whispers through the trees."
  • Nieto: El río susurra entre las piedras. — "The river whispers between the stones."
  • Abuelo: Mi madre me susurra al oído. — "My mother whispers in my ear."
  • Nieto: Ellos susurran para que nadie les oiga. — "They whisper so nobody hears them."

Common mistakes with susurrar

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

✗ *Tú susurra muy bajito (using the él form for tú).

✓ Correct: Tú susurras muy bajito.

Tú takes susurras, with the -s ending. Susurra is the él/ella form.

✗ *Yo susurro a en el cine.

✓ Correct: Yo susurro en el cine.

The place takes en: susurrar en el cine. Never add a before en.

✗ *Vosotros susurráis demasiado alto (written without the accent: susurrais).

✓ Correct: Vosotros susurráis demasiado alto.

Susurráis needs the written accent on the á.

✗ *Ellos susurran por que nadie les oiga.

✓ Correct: Ellos susurran para que nadie les oiga.

Para que (so that) is the correct expression for purpose. Por que does not work here.

Quiz: susurrar in use

Ten questions on susurrar — 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: Tú ______ un secreto a tu amiga. — "You whisper a secret to your friend."

  • a) susurra
  • b) susurraste
  • c) susurro
  • d) susurras

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer yo te ______ un secreto. — "Yesterday I whispered a secret to you."

  • a) susurro
  • b) susurré
  • c) susurró
  • d) susurraste

3. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en el cine. — "I whisper in the cinema."

  • a) susurras
  • b) susurré
  • c) susurro
  • d) susurra

4. Complete the sentence: El viento ______ entre los árboles. — "The wind whispers through the trees."

  • a) susurró
  • b) susurras
  • c) susurro
  • d) susurra

5. Which is the correct present tense form of susurrar for yo?

  • a) susurras
  • b) susurro
  • c) susurramos
  • d) susurra

6. Which is the correct present tense form of susurrar for tú?

  • a) susurra
  • b) susurro
  • c) susurras
  • d) susurramos

7. Which is the correct present tense form of susurrar for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) susurran
  • b) susurras
  • c) susurro
  • d) susurra

8. Which sentence uses susurrar correctly?

  • a) Nosotros susurramos secretos por la noche.
  • b) Nosotros susurra secretos por la noche.
  • c) Nosotros susurrábamos secretos por la noche.

9. What is the past participle of susurrar?

  • a) susurro
  • b) susurrando
  • c) susurrado
  • d) susurró

10. What does susurrar mean in English?

  • a) to go
  • b) to whisper
  • c) to have
  • d) to shout

Answer key

  1. d) susurras — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: susurras.

  2. b) susurré — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: susurré.

  3. c) susurro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: susurro.

  4. d) susurra — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: susurra.

  5. b) susurro — The present tense form for yo is susurro.

  6. c) susurras — The present tense form for tú is susurras.

  7. a) susurran — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is susurran.

  8. a) Nosotros susurramos secretos por la noche. — Nosotros susurramos secretos por la noche. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. c) susurrado — The past participle is susurrado. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he susurrado, has susurrado, ha susurrado.

  10. b) to whisper — susurrar means "to whisper".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use susurrar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as susurrar un secreto and susurrar al oído. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between susurrar and gritar?

susurrar means "to whisper", while gritar means "to shout". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use susurrar when you mean "to whisper" and gritar when you mean "to shout".

Which tense do I need most with susurrar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use susurrar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is susurrar formal or informal?

susurrar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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