acostarse
/akosˈtaɾse/
The English phrase "go to sleep" is translated into Spanish as acostarse.
acostarse is used to describe the act of getting into bed in order to sleep. A common way to give a command or instruction to go to sleep, often used by parents toward children, is to add the preposition a before the infinitive: ¡A acostarse!
Which one should you use?
While acostarse specifically refers to the act of getting into bed, the related term dormirse refers to the transition of actually falling asleep.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because acostarse is a reflexive verb, you must use a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) that matches the subject. For example, use me acuesto for "I go to sleep" and use the pronoun se for third-person singular and plural forms, such as se acuestan for "they go to sleep".
How do you pronounce it?
/akosˈtaɾse/
Did you know?
- To say you are 'going to bed' without using the verb acostarse, you can use the idiom irse al sobre, where sobre refers to a bed instead of an envelope.
- The term camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente is a famous proverb which means 'the shrimp that sleeps is carried away by the current', used to warn against laziness.
- The word acostarse comes from costado, meaning 'side'. Literally, the phrase describes the act of placing oneself on one's side.
Examples in context
- Es tarde, señora. Vaya a dormir y descanse.It's late, ma'am. Go to sleep and rest.
- Está cansado, señor. Váyase a dormir para recuperar energías.You're tired, sir. Go to sleep to regain energy.
- Estás exhausto, amigo. Ve a dormir y descansa bien.You're exhausted, buddy. Go to sleep and rest well.
- Vete a la cama temprano para descansar lo suficiente.Go to bed early to get enough rest.
- Es hora de acostarse.It is time to go to sleep.
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking in the living room late at night.
- JavierYa tengo mucho sueño, voy a acostarse.I am very sleepy already, I'm going to go to sleep.
- MaríaYo también, Javier. Ya es muy tarde.Me too, Javier. It is very late already.
- Javier¿Quieres acostarse ahora mismo?Do you want to go to sleep right now?
- MaríaSí, María se va a acostarse ya.Yes, María is going to go to sleep now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry acostarse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
