Susurrar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of susurrar — "to whisper" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for susurrar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Tú susurras un secreto a tu amiga. — "You whisper a secret to your friend.".
Present tense conjugation table: susurrar
Every person of susurrar in the present tense. The gerund is susurrando and the past participle is susurrado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | susurro |
| tú | susurras |
| él/ella/Ud. | susurra |
| nosotros/as | susurramos |
| vosotros/as | susurráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | susurran |
How the present indicative of susurrar is formed
The present indicative of susurrar is built from the stem susurr- plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | susurro |
| tú | -as | susurras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | susurra |
| nosotros/as | -amos | susurramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | susurráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | susurran |
Because susurrar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem susurr- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, susurráis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of susurrar is susurrando and the past participle is susurrado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of susurrar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and susurrar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Whispering a secret
The present describes whispering that happens now, in a quiet place.
"Tú susurras un secreto a tu amiga." — "You whisper a secret to your friend."
Whispering in the ear
Susurrar al oído is the fixed expression for whispering into someone's ear.
"Mi madre me susurra al oído." — "My mother whispers in my ear."
Whispering in the library
The present states the rule of quiet places.
"Nosotros susurramos en la biblioteca." — "We whisper in the library."
The wind whispering
Figuratively, susurrar describes soft natural sounds.
"El viento susurra entre los árboles." — "The wind whispers through the trees."
Whispering so nobody hears
The present describes a habit of speaking quietly.
"Ellos susurran para que nadie les oiga." — "They whisper so nobody hears them."
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo susurro en el cine. — "I whisper in the cinema."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo susurré en el cine. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú susurras muy bajito. — "You whisper very quietly."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú susurrabas muy bajito. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: El niño susurra en clase. — "The child whispers in class."
- Future — what will happen: El niño susurrará en clase. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: susurrar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show susurrar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo susurro en el cine. — "I whisper in the cinema."
- Tú susurras muy bajito. — "You whisper very quietly."
- El niño susurra en clase. — "The child whispers in class."
- Nosotros susurramos secretos por la noche. — "We whisper secrets at night."
- Vosotros susurráis demasiado alto. — "You whisper too loudly."
- Los alumnos susurran durante el examen. — "The students whisper during the exam."
- El río susurra entre las piedras. — "The river whispers between the stones."
Common mistakes with susurrar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with susurrar in the present tense. Each one shows 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 the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of susurrar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of susurrar for tú?
- a) susurro
- b) susurran
- c) susurras
- d) susurra
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en el cine. — "I whisper in the cinema."
- a) susurras
- b) susurré
- c) susurran
- d) susurro
3. Complete the sentence: Mi madre me ______ al oído. — "My mother whispers in my ear."
- a) susurramos
- b) susurró
- c) susurras
- d) susurra
4. Which is the correct present tense form of susurrar for nosotros?
- a) susurro
- b) susurran
- c) susurras
- d) susurramos
5. Which sentence uses susurrar correctly in the present tense?
- a) El niño susurró en clase.
- b) El niño susurra en clase.
- c) El niño susurras en clase.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of susurrar for vosotros?
- a) susurro
- b) susurráis
- c) susurras
- d) susurra
7. Complete the sentence: El viento ______ entre los árboles. — "The wind whispers through the trees."
- a) susurra
- b) susurro
- c) susurran
- d) susurró
8. What is the gerund of susurrar?
- a) susurrando
- b) susurramos
- c) susurro
- d) susurrado
Answer key
c) susurras — The tú form is susurras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; susurro is yo, susurra is él/ella and susurran is ellos/ellas.
d) susurro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: susurro. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) susurra — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is susurra.
d) susurramos — Nosotros takes susurramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem susurr-.
b) El niño susurra en clase. — El niño susurra en clase. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) susurráis — Vosotros takes susurráis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
a) susurra — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is susurra.
a) susurrando — The gerund is susurrando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle susurrado.
Frequently asked questions
Is susurrar regular in the present tense?
Yes. susurrar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: susurro, susurras, susurra, susurramos, susurráis and susurran.
What is the gerund and the past participle of susurrar?
The gerund is susurrando and the past participle is susurrado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to whisper" in Spanish?
Say susurro. For example: Yo susurro en el cine. — "I whisper in the cinema.".
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". The full conjugation of gritar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of susurrar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- susurrar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.