cansado
/kanˈsado/
The English word 'tired' is translated into Spanish as cansado.
cansado is used to describe someone who is in need of rest or sleep. If you want to express a stronger sense of being completely exhausted, you can use agotado.
Meaning: in need of rest or sleep (adj)
Which one should you use?
While cansado describes general tiredness, agotado is a stronger alternative used when someone is completely exhausted.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the subject. Use cansada if the person being described is female, and cansados for a group of men or a mixed-gender group. For a group consisting only of females, use cansadas.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of cansado is /kanˈsado/.
Did you know?
- The word agotado not only means 'exhausted' when describing a person, but also means 'sold out' or 'out of stock' when describing a product.
- In some regions, you can say estoy fundido to mean you are 'burnt out' or 'exhausted', similar to a lightbulb burning out.
- To describe a 'tired' or 'worn out' object, such as an old piece of clothing, Spanish speakers use gastado rather than cansado.
Examples in context
- Tom se ve cansado.Tom looks tired.This sentence shows how to describe someone looking tired using cansado.Tatoeba #1284315 by marcelostockle, translation #1024525 by CK
- Te ves muy cansado.You look very tired.This sentence shows how to tell someone they look very tired using cansado.Tatoeba #1410096 by marcelostockle, translation #16475 by CK
- Usted se ve cansado.You look tired.This sentence shows a way to tell someone they look tired using cansado.Tatoeba #3775651 by marcelostockle, translation #63218 by CK
- No puedo salir esta noche, estoy hecho polvo.I can't go out tonight, I'm exhausted.
- 493 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking after a long day at work.
- JavierEstoy muy cansado hoy.I am very tired today.
- LucíaYo también, Javier.Me too, Javier.
- Javier¿Quieres ir a dormir ya?Do you want to go to sleep now?
- LucíaSí, estoy demasiado cansado para cenar.Yes, I am too tired to have dinner.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tired” translations and entries cansado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
