¡No puede ser!
No way!
¡No puede ser! Perdí mi vuelo por cinco minutos.
I can't believe it! I missed my flight by five minutes.
— Se canceló el concierto. — ¡No puede ser!
— The concert was canceled. — That can't be!
Spanish - Surprise
Lesson 78 of 159
Goal: Quick reactions and friendly disbelief
Free Spanish lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.
Welcome back — nice to see you on Lesson 78! This lesson focuses on short, natural ways to react when something unexpected happens. Practice hearing the phrases, try a few quick quizzes, and speak them aloud to build automatic responses.
Level A2: In this lesson you'll practice common Spanish reactions to surprising news: short exclamations, polite disbelief, and quick follow-up questions (like ¡No puede ser!, ¿En serio?, and ¡Qué sorpresa!). These phrases are CEFR-aligned and perfect for social conversations when something unexpected happens.
After this lesson you'll be able to:
- Recognize and use common Spanish surprise reactions in casual conversations.
- Ask for confirmation and express mild disbelief naturally.
- Practice aloud so you can respond quickly in real social situations.
Ready? Let's go!
When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.
1. Reading + Listening Practice
Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.
¿En serio?
Are you serious?
¿En serio? ¿Vas a mudarte a otra ciudad?
Really? Are you moving to another city?
Me dieron vacaciones extra. — ¿En serio?
They gave me extra vacation. — Really?
Eso sí sorprende.
That's surprising.
Que el jefe cante en la fiesta, eso sí sorprende.
That the boss sings at the party — that is surprising.
El precio tan bajo, eso sí sorprende.
The price so low — that really surprises me.
¡Qué sorpresa!
What a surprise!
¡Qué sorpresa! No sabía que vendrías hoy.
What a surprise! I didn't know you were coming today.
Te traje flores. — ¡Qué sorpresa!
I brought you flowers. — What a surprise!
No me lo esperaba.
I didn't expect that.
No me lo esperaba: la reunión terminó tan pronto.
I didn't expect it: the meeting ended so soon.
Su reacción, no me lo esperaba.
His reaction — I didn't expect that.
¿Es cierto?
Is that true?
¿Es cierto que cierran la tienda este mes?
Is it true that they are closing the store this month?
— Ganó el concurso. — ¿Es cierto?
— He won the contest. — Is that true?
¿Neta?
Wow, really?
— Compré un coche nuevo. — ¿Neta?
— I bought a new car. — Really?
¿Neta vas a viajar solo?
Really? Are you going to travel alone?
Cuesta creerlo.
That's hard to believe.
Cuesta creerlo que haya terminado el proyecto en una semana.
It's hard to believe the project finished in one week.
La noticia es buena, pero cuesta creerlo aún.
The news is good, but it's still hard to believe.
¡No me digas!
You're kidding!
— Me ascendieron hoy. — ¡No me digas!
— I got promoted today. — You're kidding!
¡No me digas! ¿Ya empezó la película?
No way! Has the movie already started?
Eso no puede estar bien.
That can't be right.
Eso no puede estar bien: cobraron de más en mi cuenta.
That can't be right: they overcharged my account.
La decisión del juez, eso no puede estar bien.
The judge's decision — that can't be right.
¿Cómo es posible?
How is that possible?
— El edificio se vendió en un día. — ¿Cómo es posible?
— The building sold in one day. — How is that possible?
¿Cómo es posible que no lo supiéramos?
How is it possible we didn't know?
No tenía idea.
I had no idea.
No tenía idea de que te casarías tan pronto.
I had no idea you would get married so soon.
No tenía idea de su promoción hasta hoy.
I had no idea about his promotion until today.
Ah, no sabía eso.
Oh, I didn't know that.
— Cambiaron el horario de la clase. — Ah, no sabía eso.
— They changed the class schedule. — Oh, I didn't know that.
Ah, no sabía eso; gracias por decirme.
Oh, I didn't know that; thanks for telling me.
2. Conversational Listening Practice
Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.
Anna hears surprising news about a friend.
What surprising news does David share?
David
¿Sabes que María consiguió una beca para estudiar en Japón?
Do you know María got a scholarship to study in Japan?
Anna
¡No puede ser!
No way!
David
Sí, es cierto. Se va en septiembre.
Yes, it's true. She leaves in September.
Anna
No me lo esperaba.
I didn't expect that.
David
¡Qué sorpresa!
What a surprise!
Anna
¿Cómo es posible? Ella no habla japonés.
How is that possible? She doesn't speak Japanese.
3. Guided Practice
Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.
Which phrase best means 'You're kidding!'?
Which question asks 'Is that true?' in a neutral way?
Which phrase politely expresses 'That's hard to believe'?
Which casual, regional phrase is often used in Mexico to say 'Really?' (surprised)?
You're kidding! (¡No me digas!)
Your friend says they just got promoted at work. You reply: '___' (You're kidding!).
I didn't expect that. (No me lo esperaba.)
You learn a colleague is leaving the company and want to say you didn't expect that: '___'.
Is that true? (¿Es cierto?)
Someone says the concert is canceled; you ask for confirmation: '___'.
Match the core phrases
Match the extra phrases
4. Speaking Practice
Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).
Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.
Say this phrase out loud:
¡No puede ser!
That can't be! / No way!
Say this phrase out loud:
¿En serio?
Really?
Say this phrase out loud:
Eso sí sorprende.
That is surprising.
Say this phrase out loud:
¡Qué sorpresa!
What a surprise!
Say this phrase out loud:
No me lo esperaba.
I didn't expect that.
Say this phrase out loud:
¿Es cierto?
Is that true?
Say this phrase out loud:
¿Neta?
Really? (casual)
Say this phrase out loud:
Cuesta creerlo.
That's hard to believe.
Say this phrase out loud:
¡No me digas!
You're kidding!
Say this phrase out loud:
Eso no puede estar bien.
That can't be right.
Say this phrase out loud:
¿Cómo es posible?
How is that possible?
Say this phrase out loud:
No tenía idea.
I had no idea.
Say this phrase out loud:
Ah, no sabía eso.
Oh, I didn't know that.