aislarme
/aislaɾme/from spelling rules
To isolate myself in Spanish is aislarme.
The phrase means to separate oneself from other people to be alone.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the verb aislar (to isolate) and the enclitic pronoun me (myself).
Which one should you use?
Changing the ending from me to se changes the phrase from 'isolate myself' to the impersonal aislarse (to isolate oneself).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, you might use the variation aislarme un rato to mean 'isolate myself for a while.' In Spain, the expression aislarme un tanto means 'isolate myself a bit.'
How does it change in a sentence?
In the infinitive form, the reflexive pronoun me is attached to the end of the verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/aislaɾme/
Did you know?
- The word aislar is a linguistic relative of the English word 'island'. Both come from the Latin insula, referring to the state of being cut off by water.
- While aislarme refers to people, the same verb aislar is used in construction to describe 'insulating' a house against heat or cold.
- If you want to sound less like a medical textbook, you might choose encerrarme (to lock myself in) instead of aislarme. While 'to isolate' sounds clinical in English, 'to lock myself in' is a very common, natural way to express the desire for solitude in Spanish.
Examples in context
- En estos momentos, necesito aislarme un poco para reflexionar.Right now, I need to isolate myself a bit to reflect.
- Por favor, entienda que necesito tomar distancia para recargar energías.Please understand that I need to take some distance to recharge my energy.
- Hoy me haré la ermitaña y pasaré el día leyendo en casa.Today, I'll become a hermit and spend the day reading at home.
- Necesito aislarme para estudiar.I need to isolate myself to study.
- Necesito aislarme para poder estudiar.I need to isolate myself to be able to study.
- No quiero aislarme de mis amigos.I do not want to isolate myself from my friends.
- A veces decido aislarme en mi habitación.Sometimes I decide to isolate myself in my room.
Example conversation
Daniel tells Sofía that he needs some time alone.
- DanielSofía, voy a aislarme un rato en mi cuarto.Sofía, I am going to isolate myself for a while in my room.
- SofíaEstá bien, Daniel. ¿Estás triste?That's fine, Daniel. Are you sad?
- DanielNo, solo quiero leer en silencio.No, I just want to read in silence.
- SofíaEntiendo, te dejo descansar entonces.I understand, I'll let you rest then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
