darse cuenta
/ˌdaɾse ˈkwenta/
In Spanish, to realise is expressed as darse cuenta.
The most common and neutral way to say realise is to use the phrase darse cuenta de (to become aware of).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase darse cuenta is composed of darse (to give oneself) and cuenta (account/count), literally meaning to give oneself account of something.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a pronominal verb, darse cuenta must be conjugated with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) that agrees with the subject, such as se dio cuenta (he/she/it realised). When darse cuenta is followed by a noun or a clause, it must be preceded by the preposition de.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌdaɾse ˈkwenta/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using realizar to mean become aware. This is a common mistake for English speakers. In Spanish, realizar actually means to carry out or to perform a task.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the same word cuenta used in darse cuenta is also the word used for a restaurant bill or a bank account.
- While darse cuenta means to realize, the word realizar is used in Spanish to describe the act of filming or directing a movie.
- In English, you 'realise' a dream or a goal, but in Spanish, you would use realizar for the action of making that dream a reality through effort.
Examples in context
- Me di cuenta de mi errorI realised my mistake
- Percatémonos de los cambios en el entornoLet's realise the changes in the environment
- Me di cuenta de que era tarde.I realised that it was late.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry darse cuenta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
