suenan
“suenan” means “they sound” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
they sound, they ring
Also: they jingle, they go off
📝 In Action
Las campanas de la iglesia suenan a las ocho.
A1The church bells ring at eight o'clock.
Tus llaves suenan mucho cuando caminas.
A2Your keys jingle a lot when you walk.
Esos instrumentos no suenan muy bien hoy.
A2Those instruments don't sound very good today.
ring a bell, sound like
Also: seem
📝 In Action
Esos nombres me suenan de algo.
B1Those names ring a bell / sound familiar to me.
Sus palabras suenan a mentira.
B2Their words sound like a lie.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: suenan
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence means 'The names sound familiar to me'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'sonāre', which means 'to make a noise'. The change from 'o' to 'ue' in 'suenan' happened as Spanish evolved and certain vowels became stronger when stressed.
First recorded: 12th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't it 'sonan'?
In Spanish, some verbs change their middle vowel when you stress it. Since the stress is on the 'o' in 'suenan', it splits into 'ue'.
Does 'suenan' always mean noise?
Not always! It can also mean that something sounds familiar, like a person's face or a song you've heard before.