sonreír
/sonreˈiɾ/
To smile in Spanish is sonreír.
The verb sonreír is used to express the action of having a smile on one's face. If you wish to refer to the smile itself as a noun, use sonrisa, such as in the phrase una sonrisa (a smile).
Meaning: to have a smile on one's face (verb)
Which one should you use?
Use the verb sonreír to describe the action of smiling, but use the noun sonrisa to refer to the smile itself.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb sonreír is irregular in the present tense, where the e changes to i in the third-person singular and plural forms, such as sonríe (he/she smiles or you informal smile). In the preterite past tense, the third-person singular form is sonrió (he/she smiled).
How do you pronounce it?
/sonreˈiɾ/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the noun sonrisa can be used with the verb sacar (to take out), creating the phrase sacar una sonrisa, which means to make someone smile.
- The morphological structure of sonreír hides an ancient connection to the concept of 'laughing under' or 'laughing softly'.
- The expression de oreja a oreja (from ear to ear) is frequently paired with sonreír to describe a very wide or genuine smile.
Examples in context
- Ella lo vio sonreír.She saw him smile.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the verb sonreír.Tatoeba #1258429 by marcelostockle, translation #887370 by CH
- Tom nunca ha visto sonreír a Mary.Tom has never seen Mary smile.This sentence shows the verb sonreír in a sentence.Tatoeba #1176865 by Shishir, translation #1093638 by CK
- Hace mucho tiempo que no te veo sonreír.It's been a long time since I've seen you smile.This sentence demonstrates the use of the verb sonreír.Tatoeba #1118719 by Shishir, translation #1109372 by CK
- Ella tiene una sonrisa encantadoraShe has a charming smile
- Siempre debemos dar una sonrisa amable a nuestros clientesWe should always give a friendly smile to our clients
- Ella siempre sonríe cuando ve a su perroShe always smiles when she sees her dog
- Me encanta su sonrisita traviesaI love your mischievous little smile
- ¡Sonríe y disfruta el aprendizaje del español!Smile and enjoy learning Spanish!
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are at a party.
- SofíaJavier, te gusta sonreír mucho.Javier, you like to smile a lot.
- JavierEs que estoy muy feliz hoy.It's just that I am very happy today.
- SofíaTu sonrisa es muy bonita.Your smile is very beautiful.
- JavierGracias, Sofía, eres muy amable.Thanks, Sofía, you are very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smile” translations and entries sonreír, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sonreír, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
