What Is The Meaning Of "Dudar" In Spanish
What Is the Meaning of Dudar in Spanish?
Dudar (IPA: /duˈðar/) is a regular -ar verb meaning to doubt or to hesitate. It is a high-frequency verb in Spanish used to express uncertainty, scepticism, or indecision. The construction dudar de (to doubt something/someone) and dudar en (to hesitate to do something) are both common.
Conjugation of Dudar
| Tense | yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | dudo | dudas | duda | dudamos | dudáis | dudan |
| Preterite | dudé | dudaste | dudó | dudamos | dudasteis | dudaron |
| Imperfect | dudaba | dudabas | dudaba | dudábamos | dudabais | dudaban |
| Future | dudaré | dudarás | dudará | dudaremos | dudaréis | dudarán |
| Conditional | dudaría | dudarías | dudaría | dudaríamos | dudaríais | dudarían |
| Subjunctive | dude | dudes | dude | dudemos | dudéis | duden |
Example Sentences with Dudar
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No dudes en llamarme si necesitas ayuda. | Do not hesitate to call me if you need help. |
| Dudé un momento antes de responder. | I hesitated for a moment before answering. |
| Ella duda de sus propias capacidades. | She doubts her own abilities. |
| Si dudas de la información, busca una segunda opinión. | If you doubt the information, look for a second opinion. |
| Nadie dudaba de que ganara el partido. | Nobody doubted that he would win the match. |
| Dudo que lleguen a tiempo con tanto tráfico. | I doubt they will arrive on time with so much traffic. |
Common Expressions with Dudar
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dudar de | to doubt someone or something |
| dudar en + infinitive | to hesitate to do something |
| sin dudar | without hesitation |
| no cabe duda | there is no doubt |
| poner en duda | to call into question |
| fuera de toda duda | beyond all doubt |
Usage Notes
Dudar is a regular -ar verb with no stem changes or spelling irregularities — one of the few common verbs where conjugation is entirely predictable.
When dudar is followed by a subordinate clause, it triggers the subjunctive: Dudo que venga. (I doubt he will come.) This is because doubt introduces uncertainty. In contrast, no dudar (to not doubt) can take the indicative: No dudo que viene. (I do not doubt he is coming.)
The related noun is la duda (the doubt, the hesitation). The expression en caso de duda (in case of doubt) and sin lugar a dudas (without a doubt) are high-frequency phrases in both formal and everyday Spanish.
Expand Your Spanish Vocabulary
Words like bien, dudar, and largo appear in the top 2,000 most common Spanish words — and learning them in frequency order is the fastest path to fluency. Our Spanish Frequency Dictionaries cover the 10,000 most common Spanish words across four volumes, each entry with IPA pronunciation, part of speech, and bilingual example sentences.
Improve Your Spanish with a Frequency Dictionary (Updated 2026)
Research consistently shows that mastering the top 1,000–3,000 most common words unlocks comprehension of 80–95% of everyday text and conversation. Our Spanish Frequency Dictionary series is built around this principle: curated frequency-ranked word lists, bilingual example sentences in context, phonetic pronunciation, and part-of-speech data — covering A1 through C2 levels.