me voy a la cama
/me boi a la kama/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I go to bed" is translated into Spanish as me voy a la cama.
This phrase is used to communicate that you are going to sleep for the night.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, me voy a la cama means "I go myself to the bed". It uses the reflexive verb irse to indicate movement away from a current location toward the bed.
Which one should you use?
While you can say voy a la cama without the reflexive me, it sounds less natural when you are expressing your personal intention to retire for the night. Another common alternative is the single verb me acuesto, which means "I lie down" or "I go to bed".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, it is common to use Me voy a dormir to say "I go to bed."
How does it change in a sentence?
While me voy a la cama focuses on the physical act of going to the bed, the alternative me voy a dormir focuses more on the intention to sleep.
Did you know?
- Spanish has a specific verb trasnochar to describe the act of staying awake through the night or going to bed much later than usual.
- The word for bed, cama, may actually predate the Roman conquest, potentially originating from a Paleo-Hispanic language rather than Latin.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, buenas noches is used both as a greeting when arriving at an evening event and as a farewell when saying me voy a la cama.
Examples in context
- Me voy a la cama a las once.I go to bed at eleven.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase me voy a la cama when specifying a time.Tatoeba #509569 by Shishir, translation #73354 by CK
- ¡Hasta mañana! Me acuesto temprano hoy porque necesito descansar.See you tomorrow! I'm going to bed early today because I need to rest.
- Estoy agotado, así que me voy a la cama. ¡Buenas noches! Voy a dormir.I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bed. Goodnight! I'm going to sleep.
- Estoy muy cansado, me voy a la cama.I am very tired, I am going to bed.
- Mañana tengo clase, así que me voy a la cama ahora.I have class tomorrow, so I am going to bed now.
Example conversation
A couple is in their living room late at night.
- Alejandro¿Quieres ver otra película, Lucía?Do you want to watch another movie, Lucía?
- LucíaNo, gracias, ya es muy tarde.No, thanks, it is already very late.
- AlejandroEstá bien, yo también me voy a la cama.Alright, I am going to bed too.
- LucíaBuenas noches, Alejandro.Good night, Alejandro.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, cama, la, me, voy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
