Which one should you use?
The phrase changes depending on whom you are addressing. Use ¿estás cansado/a? for an informal context and ¿está usted cansado/a? for a formal context. To ask a group of people if they are tired, use the plural form ¿están cansados?
How does it change in a sentence?
If the person you are asking is female, you must change the ending of the adjective to the feminine form cansada. Additionally, estás is the informal second person singular conjugation of the verb to be, while usted is the formal way of saying "you".
When do people say it?
If someone asks you this question, you can respond by saying Sí, estoy cansado/a to mean "Yes, I am tired" or No, no estoy cansado/a to mean "No, I am not tired". For a male speaker, the masculine cansado is used, while a female speaker uses the feminine cansada.
Did you know?
- If you are so tired that you can barely keep your eyes open, you can say tengo sueño, which literally means 'I have sleep' rather than 'I am tired'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, if you ask ¿estás cansado? and the person responds with estoy muerto, they do not mean they are literally dead, but rather 'I am dead tired'.
- While you use estás cansado? for physical exhaustion, you might also use estás harto to express being 'tired' of a situation or a person, meaning you are fed up.
Examples in context
- Pareces agotado, ¿estás cansado?You look exhausted, are you tired?
- Después del trabajo, ¿estás cansado?After work, are you tired?
Example conversation
Javier just finished a long day of hiking with Sofía.
- SofíaJavier, ¿estás cansado?Javier, are you tired?
- JavierSí, un poco.Yes, a little.
- SofíaPodemos descansar ahora.We can rest now.
- JavierGracias, Sofía, lo agradezco.Thanks, Sofía, I appreciate it.
