estoy un poco cansado
/estoi un poko kansado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I am a little tired" is translated into Spanish as estoy un poco cansado.
This phrase is used to express a slight feeling of fatigue or a need for rest. You can also use the word algo as a synonym for un poco to say you are "somewhat" or "rather" tired, resulting in estoy algo cansado.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase un poco literally means "a little", where un means "a" and poco means "little".
Which one should you use?
To increase the intensity from "a little" to "very", replace un poco with muy to say estoy muy cansado.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb estoy is the first-person singular present indicative of estar, which is used here because fatigue is considered a temporary state. If the speaker is female, the adjective must change from cansado to cansada, such as in estoy un poco cansada.
Did you know?
- Spanish distinguishes between the 'tired' of estar cansado and the 'tired' of ser cansado, the latter of which describes a person who is naturally exhausting to be around.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying estoy un poco cansado can be a polite way to signal that you are bored or want to leave a social gathering without being rude.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, a person might say estoy cansado to mean they are 'fed up' with a situation rather than physically sleepy.
Examples in context
- Cuando llegué de viaje, había trabajado todo el día y me sentía un poco cansado/a.When I arrived from the trip, I had worked all day and I felt a little tired.
- Me siento algo fatigado/a después de todas las reuniones del día.I feel somewhat tired after all the meetings of the day.
- Estoy algo cansado/a de la fiesta de anoche.I am somewhat tired from last night's party.
- Ayer trabajé mucho, y hoy estoy un poco hecho/a polvo.Yesterday I worked a lot, and today I am a little bit shattered.
- Estoy un poco cansado después de trabajar.I am a little tired after working.
- Hoy estoy un poco cansado y quiero dormir.Today I am a little tired and I want to sleep.
- No quiero salir porque estoy un poco cansado.I don't want to go out because I am a little tired.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are deciding whether to go for a walk.
- Daniel¿Quieres ir al parque ahora, Lucía?Do you want to go to the park now, Lucía?
- LucíaSí, pero tú te ves agotado, Daniel.Yes, but you look exhausted, Daniel.
- DanielNo es para tanto, solo estoy un poco cansado.It's not that bad, I am just a little tired.
- LucíaEntonces descansemos un rato más.Then let's rest a bit longer.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
