inundar
“inundar” means “to flood” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to flood
Also: to submerge
📝 In Action
El río se desbordó e inundó toda la ciudad.
B1The river overflowed and flooded the entire city.
Si dejas el grifo abierto, vas a inundar el baño.
A2If you leave the tap open, you are going to flood the bathroom.
Las fuertes lluvias suelen inundar los pasos subterráneos.
B2Heavy rains often flood the underpasses.
to overwhelm
Also: to swamp, to fill
📝 In Action
Los clientes inundaron la tienda durante las rebajas.
B1Customers swamped the store during the sales.
La luz del sol inundaba toda la sala.
B2The sunlight filled the entire room.
Me inundaron con preguntas después de la presentación.
C1They overwhelmed me with questions after the presentation.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: inundar
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence describes a literal water flood?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From Latin 'inundare', where 'in-' means 'into' and 'unda' means 'wave'. It literally describes a wave coming into a place.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'inundar' regular or irregular?
It is completely regular! It follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar.
What is the difference between 'inundar' and 'llenar'?
'Llenar' simply means 'to fill' (like a glass of water). 'Inundar' implies a large, overwhelming amount, like a disaster or a huge crowd.
Can I use 'inundar' for people?
Yes, but figuratively. You can say 'inundaron la oficina' to mean a huge group of people entered at once.