su sonrisa
/su sonrisa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "his smile" is translated into Spanish as su sonrisa.
Su sonrisa refers to the facial expression of a male person when they are happy or friendly.
Which one should you use?
Because the word su can be ambiguous, Spanish speakers often use the phrase la sonrisa de él to specifically mean "his smile" and avoid confusion with "her smile" or "their smile".
How does it change in a sentence?
The possessive adjective su is used to mean "his", "her", "its", "your" (formal) and "their". Consequently, the word su itself does not indicate the gender of the person who owns the smile.
How do you pronounce it?
/su sonrisa/
Did you know?
- The word sonrisa is a linguistic descendant of the Latin word subrīdeō, which means 'to smile under' or 'to smile slightly'.
- In Spanish, the word sonrisa is a feminine noun, so even if the smile belongs to a man, the word for the smile itself remains feminine.
- The word sonrisa is closely related to risa, which means 'laughter'.
Examples in context
- Su sonrisa siempre ilumina la sala.His smile always lights up the room.
- Es imposible no notar la sonrisa de él cuando entra a la habitación.It is impossible not to notice his smile when he enters the room.
- Me encanta la sonrisa de Juan.I love Juan's smile.
- Su sonrisa es contagiosa.His smile is contagious.
- La sonrisa de Juan me hace feliz.Juan's smile makes me happy.
- Su sonrisa es muy contagiosa.His smile is very contagious.
- Me encanta su sonrisa.I love his smile.
- No puedo olvidar su sonrisa.I cannot forget his smile.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are talking about a mutual friend.
- Elena¿Te acuerdas de él?Do you remember him?
- MateoSí, siempre recuerdo su sonrisa.Yes, I always remember his smile.
- ElenaEs cierto, es muy amable.It is true, he is very kind.
- MateoÉl es un buen hombre.He is a good man.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sonrisa, su, CC BY-SA 4.0.
