acostado en la cama
/akostado en la kama/from spelling rules
The English phrase "lying in bed" is translated into Spanish as acostado en la cama.
This phrase describes the state of being in a horizontal position on a bed. If you wish to express the idea of resting, you can also use the verb reposar.
What does it mean word for word?
The word acostado is the past participle of the verb acostar (to lay or put to bed), so it literally means having been laid down.
Which one should you use?
While acostado en la cama describes the state of being in bed, the verb acostarse describes the actual action of getting into bed. Additionally, you can use tumbado en la cama as an alternative to describe being lying or sprawled in bed, which often implies a more relaxed or sprawled position.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective acostado must agree in gender and number with the person who is lying down. Use acostada en la cama if the subject is female, and use acostados en la cama for a group of people.
Did you know?
- The verb reposar, often used as a synonym for resting in bed, is also the technical term used in cooking for letting meat or cake sit before serving.
- If you are too tired to move, you might say you are tirado en la cama, which literally translates to being 'thrown' in bed, implying a state of total exhaustion.
- The word cama might trace its roots back to a language spoken in the Iberian Peninsula before the Romans arrived, known as Paleo-Hispanic.
Examples in context
- Estoy acostado/a en la camaI am lying in bed
- Me encuentro acostado/a en la camaI find myself lying in bed
- Él está acostado en la cama leyendo.He is lying in bed reading.
- No quiero levantarme, prefiero estar acostado en la cama.I don't want to get up, I prefer lying in bed.
- Juan se siente mal y está acostado en la cama.Juan feels bad and is lying in bed.
Example conversation
Daniel is calling Lucía in the morning.
- DanielHola, Lucía. ¿Ya estás despierta?Hello, Lucía. Are you awake yet?
- LucíaSí, pero todavía estoy acostado en la cama.Yes, but I'm still lying in bed.
- DanielLevántate, que vamos a llegar tarde.Get up, or we are going to be late.
- LucíaEstá bien, me levanto ahora mismo.Okay, I'm getting up right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries acostado, cama, en, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
