descansar
/deskanˈsaɾ/
To rest in Spanish is descansar.
descansar is a common and versatile way to express the act of stopping activity in order to relax or recover strength.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While descansar is the standard term, you may encounter reposar, which carries a more formal tone and is often associated with resting in a peaceful or calm manner. For more casual situations, you might use the informal expression echarse una siesta to specifically mean taking a nap or echarse un rato to mean resting for a while.
How does it change in a sentence?
descansar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense. If you want to say 'I rested' in the past tense, use the first-person singular preterite form descansé. The noun form of this verb is el descanso, which means 'the rest' or 'the break'.
How do you pronounce it?
/deskanˈsaɾ/
Did you know?
- The term descanso can refer to the wide platform or landing between two flights of stairs.
- The verb descansar is built on the word cansar, which means 'to tire'. Therefore, to rest is literally described as the process of 'un-tiring' yourself.
- While descansar is general, the word reposar is often used in cooking to describe letting meat or dough 'rest' after preparation.
Examples in context
- Ya me voy a descansar.I'm going to rest now.This sentence shows how to use descansar to express leaving to rest.Tatoeba #4360754 by umano, translation #10129780 by espamatics
- Ahora voy a descansar.Now I'm going to rest.This sentence uses descansar to state that you are going to rest now.Tatoeba #6692063 by arh, translation #12893668 by araneo
- Necesito descansar un poco.I need to rest for a bit.This sentence uses descansar to express a need for a bit of rest.Tatoeba #7563351 by arh, translation #9194552 by DJ_Saidez
- Después de un largo día de trabajo, es importante descansar bien.After a long day of work, it is important to rest well.
- El paciente necesita reposar para recuperarse correctamente.The patient needs to rest to recover properly.
- Podemos tomar un descanso antes de continuar con la reunión.We can take a break before continuing with the meeting.
- Después de comer, siempre me echo una siesta.After lunch, I always take a nap.
- Voy a echarme un rato en el sofá para descansar.I'm going to rest on the couch for a while.
- Después de tanto estudio, es hora de relajarse un poco.After so much studying, it's time to relax a bit.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Daniel are taking a break from hiking.
- MaríaEstoy muy cansada, quiero descansar.I am very tired, I want to rest.
- DanielYo también, busquemos una sombra.Me too, let's look for some shade.
- MaríaPodemos descansar aquí diez minutos.We can rest here for ten minutes.
- DanielPerfecto, me siento en esta roca.Perfect, I'll sit on this rock.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry descansar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries descansar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
