¿estás sorprendido?
The Spanish phrase for "are you surprised?" is ¿estás sorprendido?
This phrase is used to ask if someone feels wonder or amazement about something unexpected.
Which one should you use?
The phrase uses the verb estar (to be in a state) rather than ser (to be a characteristic), because being surprised is a temporary emotional state. You may also see variations like ¿Te sorprende?, which means "Does it surprise you?" or ¿Le resulta sorprendente?, which means "Does it seem surprising to you?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must change based on who you are addressing. If you are speaking to a woman, you must change the ending of the adjective to the feminine form: ¿estás sorprendida? To ask a group of people if they are surprised, use the plural form ¿están sorprendidos?
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, instead of asking ¿estás sorprendido?, people might use the phrase ¿te quedaste de piedra?, which translates to 'did you remain of stone?'
- If you want to say someone is 'staggered' or 'stunned' by surprise, you might use the word estupefacto. This comes from the same Latin root as the English word 'stupid', implying a state of being turned to stone or unable to think.
- The verb sorprender can also mean 'to catch someone' in a literal sense, such as catching a thief in the act. In this context, it has nothing to do with feeling amazement.
Examples in context
- ¡Vaya! ¿Te sorprende?Wow! Are you surprised?
- Mira su regalo, ¿estás sorprendido?Look at his gift, are you surprised?
Example conversation
Daniel shows Elena a surprise party he organized.
- Daniel¡Mira todo esto! ¿Estás sorprendido?Look at all this! Are you surprised?
- Elena¡Sí, Daniel! No me lo esperaba.Yes, Daniel! I wasn't expecting it.
- DanielMe alegra mucho que te guste.I am very glad that you like it.
- ElenaEs la mejor fiesta de todas.It is the best party of all.
