zumbar

Galician

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /θumˈbaɾ/ [θumˈbaɾ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /θumˈbaɾ/ [θumˈbaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (seseo) /sumˈbaɾ/ [sumˈbaɾ]

• Rhymes: -aɾ

Verb

zumbar (first-person singular present zumbo, first-person singular preterite zumbei, past participle zumbado)

1. to hit repeatedly, to pound

   Synonyms: bater, bourar

   Cando vaias de parranda / non te esquezas do caneco / bótalle un litro de viño / non che vaia quedar seco / e zúmballe ao caneco... (folk song)

   Whenever you go in a spree / don't forget about your pitcher / put a litre of wine in it / lest it be dry / and hit the pitcher...

2. (intransitive) to hum; to buzz

   Synonym: zoar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of zumbar

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (ti)	Third-person (el / ela / Vde.)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / Vdes.)
Infinitive
Impersonal	zumbar
Personal	zumbar	zumbares	zumbar	zumbarmos	zumbardes	zumbaren
Gerund
	zumbando
Past participle
Masculine	zumbado			zumbados
Feminine	zumbada			zumbadas
Indicative
Present	zumbo	zumbas	zumba	zumbamos	zumbades	zumban
Imperfect	zumbaba	zumbabas	zumbaba	zumbabamos	zumbabades	zumbaban
Preterite	zumbei	zumbaches	zumbou	zumbamos	zumbastes	zumbaron
Pluperfect	zumbara	zumbaras	zumbara	zumbaramos	zumbarades	zumbaran
Future	zumbarei	zumbarás	zumbará	zumbaremos	zumbaredes	zumbarán
Conditional	zumbaría	zumbarías	zumbaría	zumbariamos	zumbariades	zumbarían
Subjunctive
Present	zumbe	zumbes	zumbe	zumbemos	zumbedes	zumben
Imperfect	zumbase	zumbases	zumbase	zumbásemos	zumbásedes	zumbasen
Future	zumbar	zumbares	zumbar	zumbarmos	zumbardes	zumbaren
Imperative
Affirmative		zumba	zumbe	zumbemos	zumbade	zumben
Negative (non)		non zumbes	non zumbe	non zumbemos	non zumbedes	non zumben

    Reintegrated conjugation of zumbar (See Appendix:Reintegrationism)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (ti / tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	zumbar
Personal	zumbar	zumbares	zumbar	zumbarmos	zumbardes	zumbarem
Gerund
	zumbando
Past participle
Masculine	zumbado			zumbados
Feminine	zumbada			zumbadas
Indicative
Present	zumbo	zumbas	zumba	zumbamos	zumbades, zumbais	zumbam
Imperfect	zumbava	zumbavas	zumbava	zumbávamos	zumbávades, zumbáveis, zumbávais1	zumbavam
Preterite	zumbei	zumbaste, zumbache1	zumbou	zumbamos	zumbastes	zumbárom, zumbaram
Pluperfect	zumbara	zumbaras	zumbara	zumbáramos	zumbárades, zumbáreis, zumbárais1	zumbaram
Future	zumbarei	zumbarás	zumbará	zumbaremos	zumbaredes, zumbareis	zumbarám, zumbarão
Conditional	zumbaria	zumbarias	zumbaria	zumbaríamos	zumbaríades, zumbaríeis, zumbaríais1	zumbariam
Subjunctive
Present	zumbe	zumbes	zumbe	zumbemos	zumbedes, zumbeis	zumbem
Imperfect	zumbasse	zumbasses	zumbasse	zumbássemos	zumbássedes, zumbásseis	zumbassem
Future	zumbar	zumbares	zumbar	zumbarmos	zumbardes	zumbarem
Imperative
Affirmative		zumba	zumbe	zumbemos	zumbade, zumbai	zumbem
Negative (nom)		nom zumbes	nom zumbe	nom zumbemos	nom zumbedes, nom zumbeis	nom zumbem

¹Less recommended.

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “zumbar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• “zumbar”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “zumbar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “zumbar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Spanish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic. Portuguese zombar, French vrombir.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θumˈbaɾ/ [θũmˈbaɾ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /sumˈbaɾ/ [sũmˈbaɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: zum‧bar

Verb

zumbar (first-person singular present zumbo, first-person singular preterite zumbé, past participle zumbado)

1. (intransitive) to hum; to buzz

   Synonym: zurriar

2. (transitive) to hit
3. (transitive) to mock
4. (colloquial) to screw, shag (have sex)
5. (Canary Islands, Caribbean, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Venezuela) to throw (cause an object to move rapidly through the air)

   Synonyms: arrojar, tirar, aventar

6. (Canary Islands, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, reflexive) to throw oneself, jump/dive

Conjugation

    Conjugation of zumbar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			zumbar
gerund			zumbando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		zumbado		zumbada
		plural		zumbados		zumbadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	zumbo	zumbastú zumbásvos	zumba	zumbamos	zumbáis	zumban
	imperfect	zumbaba	zumbabas	zumbaba	zumbábamos	zumbabais	zumbaban
	preterite	zumbé	zumbaste	zumbó	zumbamos	zumbasteis	zumbaron
	future	zumbaré	zumbarás	zumbará	zumbaremos	zumbaréis	zumbarán
	conditional	zumbaría	zumbarías	zumbaría	zumbaríamos	zumbaríais	zumbarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	zumbe	zumbestú zumbésvos2	zumbe	zumbemos	zumbéis	zumben
	imperfect (ra)	zumbara	zumbaras	zumbara	zumbáramos	zumbarais	zumbaran
	imperfect (se)	zumbase	zumbases	zumbase	zumbásemos	zumbaseis	zumbasen
	future1	zumbare	zumbares	zumbare	zumbáremos	zumbareis	zumbaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		zumbatú zumbávos	zumbe	zumbemos	zumbad	zumben
	negative		no zumbes	no zumbe	no zumbemos	no zumbéis	no zumben

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of zumbar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive zumbar	dative	zumbarme	zumbarte	zumbarle, zumbarse	zumbarnos	zumbaros	zumbarles, zumbarse
	accusative	zumbarme	zumbarte	zumbarlo, zumbarla, zumbarse	zumbarnos	zumbaros	zumbarlos, zumbarlas, zumbarse
with gerund zumbando	dative	zumbándome	zumbándote	zumbándole, zumbándose	zumbándonos	zumbándoos	zumbándoles, zumbándose
	accusative	zumbándome	zumbándote	zumbándolo, zumbándola, zumbándose	zumbándonos	zumbándoos	zumbándolos, zumbándolas, zumbándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative zumba	dative	zúmbame	zúmbate	zúmbale	zúmbanos	not used	zúmbales
	accusative	zúmbame	zúmbate	zúmbalo, zúmbala	zúmbanos	not used	zúmbalos, zúmbalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative zumbá	dative	zumbame	zumbate	zumbale	zumbanos	not used	zumbales
	accusative	zumbame	zumbate	zumbalo, zumbala	zumbanos	not used	zumbalos, zumbalas
with formal second-person singular imperative zumbe	dative	zúmbeme	not used	zúmbele, zúmbese	zúmbenos	not used	zúmbeles
	accusative	zúmbeme	not used	zúmbelo, zúmbela, zúmbese	zúmbenos	not used	zúmbelos, zúmbelas
with first-person plural imperative zumbemos	dative	not used	zumbémoste	zumbémosle	zumbémonos	zumbémoos	zumbémosles
	accusative	not used	zumbémoste	zumbémoslo, zumbémosla	zumbémonos	zumbémoos	zumbémoslos, zumbémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative zumbad	dative	zumbadme	not used	zumbadle	zumbadnos	zumbaos	zumbadles
	accusative	zumbadme	not used	zumbadlo, zumbadla	zumbadnos	zumbaos	zumbadlos, zumbadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative zumben	dative	zúmbenme	not used	zúmbenle	zúmbennos	not used	zúmbenles, zúmbense
	accusative	zúmbenme	not used	zúmbenlo, zúmbenla	zúmbennos	not used	zúmbenlos, zúmbenlas, zúmbense

Derived terms

• zumbador
• zumbársela

Related terms

• zumba
• zumbado (“loony”)
• zumbante
• zumbón

Further reading

• “zumbar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “zumbar”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
• “zumbar”, in Diccionario Básico de Canarismos [Basic Dictionary of Canarianisms] (in Spanish), Canarian Academy of the Language [Spanish: Academia Canaria de La Lengua], 2010