Today’s Spanish word of the day is “sonar”.
It’s a verb meaning “to sound”. It can also translate as “to ring”, “to beep”, or “to rumble”, depending on the type of sound you’re referring to!
The verb “sonar” can also mean “to look/sound familiar”, for example in phrases such as “su cara me suena” (“his/her face looks familiar to me”).
Be careful not to confuse the word “sonar” (“to sound”) with the word “soñar” (“to dream”).
The word “sonar” comes from Latin sonare meaning “to make a sound”. This is also the root of the English word “sound”, as well as a few related words such as “sonata” and “consonant”.
“Sonar” is an irregular verb that is conjugated according to the same pattern as “contar” (“to count or “to tell”). Here’s the conjugation in the present tense:
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes suenan – They sound, You sound (plural)
- Yo sueno – I sound
- Tú suenas – You sound (informal singular)
- Él/Ella/Usted suena – He/She sounds, You sound (formal singular)
- Nosotros/Nosotras sonamos – We sound
- Vosotros/Vosotras sonáis – You sound (informal plural, only used in Spain)
Example sentences
No dejes que el teléfono siga sonando tanto tiempo.
Don’t let the phone keep ringing for so long.
Ese nombre me suena, pero no recuerdo de dónde.
That name sounds familiar to me, but I don’t remember where from.
¿Cómo debería sonar esta palabra en español?
How should this word sound in Spanish?
¿Por qué está sonando la alarma a esta hora?
Why is the alarm going off at this hour?
La música sonaba fuerte, pero nadie se quejó.
The music was playing loudly, but no one complained.
