conjugation of the verb sorprenderse

Hola Margarita C.

“Sorprenderse” can actually behave in two different ways, which is why it’s confusing.

First, sorprender (without se) is a normal transitive verb: Algo sorprende a alguien. For example: La noticia sorprende a María. In this case, the subject is the thing that causes the surprise, and the person surprised is the direct object.

When we use sorprenderse, it becomes a pronominal verb that focuses on the person experiencing the surprise, not on what causes it. So María se sorprende means “María gets surprised / is surprised.” Here, se is not an indirect object like with gustar, but part of the verb itself.

That said, in practice sorprenderse often works very similarly to gustar-type verbs in terms of structure, especially when the cause of the surprise is expressed. For example: Me sorprende que digas eso or Me sorprende la reacción. Grammatically, la reacción or que digas eso is the subject, and me marks the person affected, which looks very “gustar-like”.

So to summarise: it is not the same verb class as gustar, but it often uses a similar sentence pattern when we talk about what causes the surprise. And yes, it is also a pronominal verb, which is why you see the se forms (me sorprendo, te sorprendes, se sorprende, etc.) when the focus is on the person being surprised.

That’s why grammar books sometimes explain it from different angles — structurally similar to gustar in some uses, but fundamentally a pronominal verb derived from sorprender.

Saludos

Silvia