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sonriendo

sohn-ree-EHN-dohsonˈrjenðo

“sonriendo” means “smiling” in Spanish (present participle/continuous action).

smiling

Also: while smiling
A1Irregular (stem changing) ir
A bright, round yellow sun with a cheerful face and a wide, joyful smile, set against a blue background, illustrating the continuous action of smiling.
past Participlesonreído
gerundsonriendo
infinitivesonreír

📝 In Action

Mi abuelo está sonriendo en la foto.

A1

My grandfather is smiling in the photo.

Llegó a la oficina sonriendo, lo que es raro.

B1

He arrived at the office smiling, which is strange.

Pasó por mi mesa sonriendo y me guiñó un ojo.

A2

She walked past my desk smiling and winked at me.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • alegremente (happily)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • seguir sonriendo – to keep smiling
  • venir sonriendo – to come smiling

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "sonriendo" in Spanish:

smiling→while smiling→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: sonriendo

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'sonriendo'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
sonreír(to smile) — Verb
la sonrisa(the smile) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

The verb *sonreír* comes from the Latin prefix *sub-* (meaning 'under' or 'slightly') attached to the Latin root for 'laughing' (*ridere*). Therefore, 'to smile' literally means 'to laugh slightly' or 'to laugh softly'.

First recorded: Medieval Spanish

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: sorrindoItalian: sorridendo

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'sonriendo' a verb?

It is a special form of the verb 'sonreír' called the gerund. It acts like the '-ing' form in English, showing that an action is currently happening or describing how another action took place.

Why is it spelled 'sonriendo' and not 'sonreiendo'?

Because the base verb 'sonreír' belongs to a group of irregular -ir verbs where the vowel 'e' in the stem changes to an 'i' when forming the gerund. This is the same pattern you see in 'pedir' (pidiendo) and 'decir' (diciendo).