desmayado
/desmaʝado/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "passed out" is translated as desmayado.
The term is used to describe someone who has been unconscious for a short time, typically due to fainting or a medical reason. If you want to express that someone "almost passed out," you can place the word casi before the verb or the phrase.
Which one should you use?
While desmayado specifically refers to the state of having fainted or lost consciousness, it should not be confused with borracho, which means drunk. Although being drunk can be a cause for someone to pass out, the words describe different states.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico, the formal expression perder el conocimiento is commonly used to say someone passed out.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is most frequently used as a reflexive verb, desmayarse, to describe the act of passing out. When using desmayado as an adjective or a past participle, the ending must agree in gender and number with the subject, such as ellas están desmayadas.
How do you pronounce it?
/desmaʝado/
Did you know?
- In certain regions, the expression caer muerto is used colloquially to say someone passed out from exhaustion. Although it literally means 'to fall dead', it is often used hyperbolically and does not mean the person actually died.
- In dramatic contexts, such as telenovelas, the act of desmayarse is often portrayed as a stylized social gesture of extreme shock or modesty, rather than a purely medical event.
- If you want to say someone passed out from drinking too much in a slang context, you might use quedarse KO instead of desmayarse.
Examples in context
- Tom se ha desmayado.Tom has passed out.Tatoeba #2051434 by Shishir, translation #1868268 by CK
- Debo de haberme desmayado.I must have passed out.Tatoeba #4410059 by pchamorro, translation #2387281 by CK
- No recuerdo nada. Debo haberme desmayado.I don't remember anything. I must've passed out.Tatoeba #10281433 by manufrutos, translation #10276720 by CK
- Se desmayó durante la conferenciaHe/she passed out during the conference
- El paciente perdió el conocimientoThe patient passed out
- Después del golpe, quedó inconscienteAfter the hit, he/she passed out
- Me desmayé del sustoI passed out from the fright
- Después de beber tanto, cayó en redondoAfter drinking so much, he/she passed out
- Se desmayó por el calor.He/she passed out from the heat.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Alejandro are at a pharmacy after a friend fainted.
- María¿Viste si él se ha desmayado de nuevo?Did you see if he passed out again?
- AlejandroNo estoy seguro, pero parece muy débil.I'm not sure, but he looks very weak.
- MaríaEspero que no se haya desmayado por la deshidratación.I hope he hasn't passed out from dehydration.
- AlejandroVamos a llamar a un médico ahora mismo.Let's call a doctor right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
