Dudar in Spanish: expressing uncertainty

Express uncertainty about an idea or a decision.

The idea

Dudar means to doubt or hesitate. Use dudar de before a noun, dudar que with the subjunctive, and dudar si before an indirect question.

Dudo que el tren llegue a tiempo.I doubt the train will arrive on time.
¿Dudas de la noticia?Do you doubt the news?
Marta duda si aceptar el trabajo.Marta is unsure whether to accept the job.
Dudamos de la respuesta del guía.We doubt the guide’s answer.
Mis vecinos dudan que el parque abra mañana.My neighbours doubt that the park will open tomorrow.
Antes de firmar, dudé unos minutos.Before signing, I hesitated for a few minutes.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Do not omit de before a noun: say dudar de la noticia, not dudar la noticia.

Choose the correct option: Yo ___ de esa explicación. (dudo / dudan)
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dudo
Dudo agrees with the speaker yo.
Choose the correct option: Dudamos que Ana ___ hoy. (venga / viene)
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venga
Venga is subjunctive after a claim introduced by dudamos que.
Choose the correct option: Luis duda si ___ el curso. (empezar / empieza)
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empezar
Empezar names the action Luis is unsure about.

Write an original sentence about a decision you are unsure about.