sorprendo

Sorprendo is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Spanish verb sorprender, which means to surprise or to astonish. The form is used when the subject causes surprise in someone else, or in reflexive constructions to express that the subject experiences surprise.

Morphology and related forms: Sorprender is a transitive verb. Present indicative forms are sorprendo, sorprendes, sorprende, sorprendemos, sorprendéis, sorprenden. The stem is sorprend-; other tenses use the same root with different endings. The past participle is sorprendido. The verb belongs to the regular -er verb family in its present tense, though it has irregularities in some other tenses and moods (for example, sorpresa forms in the noun and related verbs).

Usage and examples: In its most common use, sorprendo expresses that the speaker causes surprise. Example: Yo sorprendo a mis amigos con un truco de magia. Another common use is with a direct object referring to what causes the surprise, as in La noticia me sorprende. The reflexive form me sorprendo is used to indicate that the speaker is surprised by something: Me sorprendo de lo rápido que pasa el tiempo.

Etymology and related terms: The verb sorprender is closely linked to the noun sorpresa (surprise). It shares cognates in other Romance languages, such as French surprendre and Portuguese surpreender, reflecting a common Latin root associated with catching someone by surprise.

See also: sorprender; sorpresa; sorpresa as a noun; synonyms like asombrar, maravillar. In English, the equivalent verb is to surprise.