Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
To Wake Up in Spanish: Despertarse
Despertarse · verb · dehs-pehr-TAHR-seh
To wake up in Spanish is despertarse, a reflexive verb with an e-to-ie stem change in the present tense. The reflexive form means waking yourself up, while the non-reflexive despertar means waking someone else. Learners often confuse despertarse with levantarse, which specifically means getting out of bed.
Say dehs-pehr-TAHR-seh for the infinitive. In conjugated forms like me despierto, the stem changes: dehs-pee-EHR-toh.
Me despierto a las seis todos los días.
I wake up at six every day.
To Wake Up in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for to wake up, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| despertarse | to wake up | dehs-pehr-TAHR-seh | Default, widely understood |
| levantarse | to wake up | to get up (out of bed), closely related | |
| despertar | to wake up | non-reflexive: to wake someone else up |
How Native Speakers Use Despertarse
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Daily morning routine
Siempre me despierto antes de que suene la alarma.
I always wake up before the alarm goes off.
The reflexive me despierto indicates waking oneself up.
Waking someone else
Tuve que despertar a mi hermano porque se quedó dormido.
I had to wake up my brother because he overslept.
Without the reflexive pronoun, despertar means to wake another person.
Describing difficulty waking up
Los lunes me cuesta mucho despertarme temprano.
On Mondays it's really hard for me to wake up early.
Costar + infinitive expresses difficulty with an action.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Despertarse
Forgetting the stem change
Incorrect: Yo me desperto a las siete.
Correct: Yo me despierto a las siete.
Despertarse has an e-to-ie stem change in all present-tense forms except nosotros and vosotros. The correct first-person form is despierto, not desperto.
Confusing despertarse with levantarse
Incorrect: Me desperté de la cama inmediatamente.
Correct: Me levanté de la cama inmediatamente.
Despertarse is the moment your eyes open and consciousness returns. Levantarse is the physical act of getting out of bed. You wake up first, then you get up.
Lock in To Wake Up Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
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See Despertarse used by native speakers
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Common Questions About To Wake Up in Spanish
- How do you say to wake up in Spanish?
- To wake up is despertarse in Spanish, a reflexive verb with an e-to-ie stem change. Me despierto means 'I wake up,' and the non-reflexive form despertar is used when waking someone else.
- What is the difference between despertarse and levantarse?
- Despertarse refers to the transition from sleep to wakefulness — opening your eyes and becoming conscious. Levantarse means physically getting out of bed and standing up. You can despertarte and still lie in bed for twenty minutes before levantarte.
- How do you conjugate despertarse in the present tense?
- The present-tense forms are: me despierto, te despiertas, se despierta, nos despertamos, os despertáis, se despiertan. Notice the stem change from e to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros, which keep the regular e.