recuperar el sueño
/rekupeɾaɾ el sweɲo/from spelling rules
To catch up on sleep in Spanish is recuperar el sueño.
The phrase is used when you are sleeping more than usual to make up for a period where you did not get enough rest.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, people might say recuperar el sueño perdido to convey this concept.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is used in the infinitive form to express the concept, but it must be conjugated to match the subject and tense of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/rekupeɾaɾ el sweɲo/
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers often say tengo sueño to mean 'I am sleepy'. In the context of recuperar el sueño, it describes a physical debt of rest rather than just a momentary feeling.
- The word sueño is a linguistic chameleon that covers both 'sleep' and 'dream' in Spanish, making it a single word for two distinct concepts in English.
- While English speakers 'catch up' on sleep, a Spanish speaker literally 'recovers' it, as if the sleep were a physical object that was lost or stolen.
Examples in context
- Después de esos días agotadores, es necesario recuperar el sueño atrasado.After those exhausting days, it is necessary to catch up on sleep.
- Después de una noche sin dormir, es importante descansar para compensar las horas de sueño perdidas.After a sleepless night, it is important to rest to compensate for lost hours of sleep.
- Después de esa fiesta tan larga, necesito recuperar horas de sueño.After that long party, I need to catch up on hours of sleep.
- La semana pasada estuve muy ocupado, así que este fin de semana dormiré más para compensar la falta de sueño.Last week was really busy, so this weekend I will sleep more to compensate for the lack of sleep.
- Necesito recuperar el sueño este fin de semana.I need to catch up on sleep this weekend.
- Voy a recuperar el sueño después de la entrega.I am going to catch up on sleep after the deadline.
- Él quiere recuperar el sueño hoy.He wants to catch up on sleep today.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about their busy week at work.
- María¿Estás muy cansado, Mateo?Are you very tired, Mateo?
- MateoSí, necesito recuperar el sueño pronto.Yes, I need to catch up on sleep soon.
- MaríaYo también tengo que descansar.I also have to rest.
- MateoMañana dormiremos mucho.Tomorrow we will sleep a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
