un poco cansado
/un poko kansado/from spelling rules
To say "a little tired" in Spanish, you use un poco cansado.
This phrase is used to describe a slight feeling of fatigue or a need for rest.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, you might hear Estoy un toque cansado/a or Estoy medio agotado/a to express being a little tired.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must change to match the gender and number of the person or people feeling tired. Use un poco cansada if the person is female, and use un poco cansados when referring to a group of men or a mixed-gender group.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking social circles, saying estoy un poco cansado serves as a polite, indirect way to decline an invitation. Instead of a blunt 'no', expressing slight fatigue allows you to exit a situation without appearing rude.
- While un poco cansado describes physical fatigue, the root verb cansar is frequently used to describe someone who is mentally draining. If a person is being very repetitive or annoying, you might say me cansas, which literally translates to 'you tire me'.
- The word poco is a distant relative of the English word 'few'. Both trace their origins back to the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂w-, which describes something small in size or number.
Examples in context
- Estábamos un poco cansados.We were a little tired.This sentence shows how to use un poco cansado when referring to a group in the past tense.Tatoeba #5021702 by don_ramon, translation #5020109 by CK
- Estoy un poco cansado, eso es todo.I'm a little tired, that's all.This sentence demonstrates using un poco cansado to state a simple current feeling.Tatoeba #1488975 by marcelostockle, translation #1488132 by arnxy20
- Creo que me siento un poco cansado.I guess I'm feeling a little tired.This sentence shows how to express the feeling of being un poco cansado using the verb for feeling.Tatoeba #4435569 by Shishir, translation #2330057 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are sitting in a park in the afternoon.
- María¿Quieres ir a casa, Daniel?Do you want to go home, Daniel?
- DanielSí, estoy un poco cansado.Yes, I am a little tired.
- MaríaYo también me siento un poco cansada.I feel a little tired too.
- DanielEntonces, busquemos un taxi.Then, let's look for a taxi.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cansado, poco, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
