Spanish verb sobrar: different meanings

The verb sobrar has different meanings depending on the context and the way it is used. Here are the most common meanings and uses of this verb.

Sobrar: to be left over

When we want to express that something is left over, that something remains, for example:

In this context we understand that there was a certain amount of something (money, coffee...) and that there is still some of it left (after having used part of it). This is very similar to the use of the verb quedar when it means "to remain". See Spanish verbs Quedar, Quedarse and Quedarle (Different meanings of verb quedar).

Sobrar: There is/are too many/much of something

To express that there is an excess of something.

For example:

Sobrar: To not be needed

To express that a person is not needed, not required, there is no need for a person to be in a certain place. This is normally said in a negative way, expressing the feeling that your presence is not needed/required, and might even be a nuisance. For example:

Sobrar: To have more than enough with something

Used as an impersonal verb and normally with an indirect object pronoun we use sobrar [a alguien] con algo, meaning that one has more than enough with something or someone. For example:

Always use the preposition con in this case.

Always use in the 3rd person singular: sobra, sobraba, sobraría..., not the plural forms sobran, sobraban, sobrarían...

Sobrar: "Remainder" in mathematical operations

For example:

See also:

• Spanish verbs Quedar, Quedarse and Quedarle (Different meanings of verb quedar)
• Spanish verb "faltar": different meanings