soñar

Soñar is a Spanish verb meaning to dream. It is a stem-changing verb in the present tense, where the o of the stem changes to ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros: sueño, sueñas, sueña, soñamos, soñáis, sueñan. The infinitive is spelled with a tilde to reflect its distinct pronunciation. The verb derives from Latin somnium and is used for both the act of dreaming during sleep and metaphorical dreaming or fantasizing.

Conjugation and key tenses: In the preterite, forms are soñé, soñaste, soñó, soñamos, soñasteis, soñaron. The imperfect is soñaba, soñabas, soñaba, soñábamos, soñabais, soñaban. The future is soñaré, soñarás, soñará, soñaremos, soñaréis, soñarán. The present subjunctive is sueñe, sueñes, sueñe, soñemos, soñéis, sueñen, with imperfect subjunctive variants such as soñara or soñase. The perfect tenses use haber: he soñado, has soñado, ha soñado, hemos soñado, habéis soñado, han soñado. The gerund is soñando, and the past participle is soñado.

Usage: Soñar is commonly combined with con to mean to dream about or to long for something (soñar con viajar, soñar con un mundo mejor). Soñar despierto means to daydream. The noun form is el sueño, meaning dream or sleep; related terms include soñador/soñadora (dreamer) and ensueño (a literary, speculative dream). In everyday language, soñar often conveys aspiration, imagination, or hope in addition to sleeping dreams.