Syntaxiom

suddenly

/ˈsədənɫi/ adv B1 ✓

**Suddenly** means something that bursts onto the scene faster than a startled rabbit, with no advance notice. Imagine a calm tea party that instantly erupts into a fireworks display— that’s the essence of suddenly. It describes actions or events that appear with abrupt speed, catching everyone off guard. Use it when you want to convey that the change happened in an instant, without a long build‑up.

【核心含义】指事情发生得非常迅速、出人意料，毫无预兆。

常与表示变化或动作的动词连用（如"出现、发生、改变"），注意与"soon"（即将发生）区分时间紧迫性。

【Significado central】Algo que ocurre de forma rápida e inesperada, sin previo aviso.

"Suddenly" se traduce principalmente como **"de repente"** o **"de pronto"**, que son las formas más naturales en el español cotidiano (equivalentes a *all of a sudden*). Para un registro más formal o literario, se usa **"súbitamente"** o **"repentinamente"**, útil en textos escritos, noticias o narraciones. Por ejemplo: *The car suddenly swerved* → *El coche se desvió de repente / repentinamente*. Es la palabra ideal para describir un cambio brusco que toma a todos por sorpresa, sin una preparación gradual.

Word Origin Suddenly is sudden + -ly. Sudden comes from Latin subitus 'unexpected,' from sub- 'under, secretly' + ire 'to go' — literally 'to go under, to come up secretly.' The idea is something that happens stealthily, without warning. The same ire root gives us exit (go out), transit (go across), and ambition (going around for votes). So suddenly means 'in a sudden manner.'

adv Happening quickly and with little or no warning; in a sudden manner. B1 ✓

The car suddenly swerved to avoid hitting the deer.

(副词) 突然；忽然；骤然；猝然；陡然 【突然地，猝不及防地】

汽车突然转向以避免撞到鹿。

(adverbio) de repente; repentinamente; súbitamente; de golpe; de pronto [Que ocurre rápidamente y con poca o ninguna advertencia; de manera repentina.]

El coche giró bruscamente para evitar atropellar al ciervo.

(adverbe) soudainement; tout à coup; brusquement; subitement; d'un coup [De manière soudaine et imprévue, sans avertissement.]

La voiture a brusquement fait une embardée pour éviter le cerf.

(Adverb) plötzlich; jäh; auf einmal; unversehens [Auf eine Weise, die schnell und ohne Vorwarnung geschieht; unerwartet.]

Das Auto bog **suddenly** aus, um den Hirsch nicht zu treffen.

(副詞) 前触れもなく急に起こること; 不意に; 突然

車は突然進路を変え、鹿にぶつかるのを避けた。

(advérbio) de repente; repentinamente; subitamente; de súbito [Que acontece rapidamente e com pouco ou nenhum aviso; de maneira súbita.]

O carro subitamente desviou para evitar bater no cervo.

Synonyms: abruptly unexpectedly all of a sudden instantly immediately swiftly quickly without warning Antonyms: gradually slowly predictably expectedly
Word parts: sudden + ly

Common collocations

realize verb burst verb unexpectedly adv alert adj stiffen verb dawn verb weary adj awake verb inexplicably adv commotion subst animated adj brighten verb

Related words

suddenness

Get offline access, pronunciation, spaced repetition, and learning games:

Download Syntaxiom →
📱 Offline access 🔊 Pronunciation 🧠 Spaced repetition 📖 Native language bridges