surprise

la sorpresa

sorprender

surprise(suhr-prayz)

noun

1. (unexpected event)

a. la sorpresa

(F)

Her resignation came as a complete surprise.

Su dimisión fue una verdadera sorpresa.

2. (unexpected gift)

a. la sorpresa

(F)

Children, we have a surprise for you. It's a puppy!

Niños, les tenemos una sorpresa. ¡Un cachorro!

3. (astonishment)

a. la sorpresa

(F)

Imagine his surprise when she turned up at his door.

Imagínate la sorpresa que se llevó cuando ella se le presentó en la puerta.

adjective

4. (unexpected)

a. sorpresa

He's planning a surprise birthday party for his girlfriend.

Le está preparando una fiesta de cumpleaños sorpresa a su novia.

b. inesperado

Several orphanages received a surprise visit from the Pope.

Varios orfanatos recibieron la visita inesperada del Papa.

c. por sorpresa

That night, they launched a surprise attack against the fort.

Esa noche, lanzaron un ataque por sorpresa contra el fuerte.

transitive verb

5. (to astonish)

a. sorprender

Ralph surprised Kelly by asking her to marry him at the party.

Ralph sorprendió a Kelly pidiéndole que se casara con él en la fiesta.

b. tomar por sorpresa

(Latin America)

We were greatly surprised at the departure of the president.

La marcha del presidente nos tomó completamente por sorpresa.

c. coger por sorpresa

(Spain)

She was surprised at the announcement of her daughter's wedding.

El anuncio de la boda de su hija la cogió por sorpresa.

6. (to catch unawares)

a. sorprender

The police surprised the thieves in the market with their bags full of stolen goods.

La policía sorprendió a los ladrones en el mercado con las bolsas llenas de artículos robados.

b. pillar desprevenido

Their whole strategy rested on surprising the enemy.

Toda su estrategia se basaba en pillar desprevenido al enemigo.

surprise

Noun

1. (general)

a. la sorpresa

(F)

to give somebody a surprisedar una sorpresa a alguien

what a surprise!¡qué sorpresa!

it was no surpriseno fue ninguna sorpresa

to my great surprise, much to my surprisepara mi sorpresa

adjective

2. (attack)

a. (por) sorpresa

3. (defeat)

a. sorpresivo(a)

surprise partyfiesta sorpresa

transitive verb

4. (astonish)

a. sorprender

I was pleasantly surprisedme sorprendió gratamente

I'm not surprised that…no me extraña que…

Copyright © 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited

surprise [səˈpraɪz]

noun

1 (astonishment) sorpresa (f)

there was some surprise at his return, but no one said anything imagine my surprise when...

imagine my surprise when I found a cheque for £5,000 puedes imaginarte la sorpresa que me llevé al encontrar or cuando encontré un cheque de 5.000 libras

imagine my surprise when the prime minister walked in

"what?" George asked in surprise —¿qué? —preguntó George sorprendido

"you mean he's going to vote against her?" Scobie asked, in surprise a look of surprise

he saw my look of surprise me vio la cara de sorpresa

she started to speak, a look of surprise on her face Sabrina spun round, a look of surprise on her face I could understand the look of surprise on her face

there was a look of surprise on his face tenía cara de sorpresa; surprise, surprise! ¡menuda sorpresa! (ironic)

There is a shortage of carrots. So everybody starts growing carrots. Next season, surprise surprise, there is a glut of carrots

to my/his surprise para mi/su sorpresa

much to my surprise, he agreed para gran sorpresa mía, accedió

2 (as tactic) sorpresa (f)

surprise would be an essential element in any such offensive

the element of surprise el elemento sorpresa

to catch or take sb by surprise coger or tomar a algn por sorpresa; (LAm)

Her departure seems to have taken people by surprise the question caught took Leonidas by surprise the French infantry, taken utterly by surprise, fled from the appalling threat of the seventeen-inch blades the movement took him by surprise, and he pitched forward the attack took Adam by surprise the guerrillas were taken by surprise by an early morning attack the Russians caught us by surprise, sir

3 (unexpected thing) sorpresa (f)

I have a surprise for you tengo una sorpresa para ti; what a lovely surprise! ¡qué sorpresa más or tan agradable!

it was a bit of a surprise to say the least as always on these occasions, there are one or two surprises, some pleasant, some less so Rory McFine, one of the surprises of the World Championships three months ago to come [as] a surprise

all this comes as something of a surprise todo esto es en cierto modo una sorpresa

the news came as a hell of a surprise to me the selection of Boutros Ghali came as something of a surprise to UN diplomats to come as a surprise [to] sb

it may come as a surprise to some people puede que algunos se lleven una sorpresa; it came as a surprise to me to learn that ... me llevé una sorpresa al enterarme de que ...

life is full of surprises la vida está llena de sorpresas

to give sb a surprise dar una sorpresa a algn

adjective

[+party, present] sorpresa; [+announcement, defeat, decision] inesperado

the World Championships have begun with a surprise defeat for the defending champion Japan's surprise decision to cut interest rates He was a surprise choice as godfather to her son

a surprise visit una visita sorpresa or inesperada; a surprise attack un ataque por sorpresa

transitive verb

1 (astonish) sorprender

he may surprise us all one day puede que algún día nos sorprenda a todos

Don't expect too much. Then maybe we will surprise you Frankly I thought my son's exam results would be a disaster, but, well, he surprised me

go on, surprise me! ¡venga, sorpréndeme! (ironic)

"What flavour would you like? Strawberry or rum and raisin?" - "Oh, I don't know... Surprise me!" "you know who he's married to, don't you?" - "Surprise me." - "Jenny Foster! why not surprise a new neighbour with one of your favourite home-made dishes?

you surprise me also me sorprende usted

"I'm engaged to be married" - "Mary Rose, you surprise me. I've never seen you as the kind to accept a leash around your neck You didn't know that? You surprise me, Mr Featherstone he was extremely thin, which surprised us the meal was very cheap, which surprised me "Life's a joke." She surprised him by taking his remark seriously

it surprised her to hear John sounding so angry le sorprendió oír a John hablar tan enfadado

there's nothing that would surprise me about him any more

no one will be surprised by her appointment a nadie le extrañará or sorprenderá su nombramiento

it wouldn't surprise me if ...

it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up in jail no me extrañaría or sorprendería que terminara en la cárcel; it surprises me that ... me sorprende que

it surprised me that a driver of Alain's experience should make those mistakes

to surprise o.s. sorprenderse (a sí mismo)

He wondered, surprising himself by doing so, whether she'd ever dressed for comfort rather than effect? You've had a bad time," he said awkwardly, surprising himself with his sympathy he surprised me [with] a ring on Valentine's Day

2 (catch unawares) coger por sorpresa; tomar por sorpresa; (LAm)

the couple surprised the thief in the living-room when they returned home from the pub Mr Smith heard a noise and crept around the house with a poker, hoping to surprise the intruder she feared her parents would return and surprise them I hid behind the rocks so I could surprise her my question appeared to surprise them

to surprise sb in the act sorprender a algn in fraganti; coger a algn in fraganti