despertar a alguien
/despeɾtaɾ a alɡjen/from spelling rules
To wake someone up in Spanish is despertar a alguien.
This phrase is used when you are the cause of someone else stopping their sleep.
Which one should you use?
Use despertar a alguien when you are waking another person up. If you are talking about waking yourself up, you should instead use the reflexive form despertarse.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use the phrase to refer to a person, you must include the 'personal a' before the person being woken up. If you use a direct object pronoun such as 'him' or 'it', the pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive as a suffix, such as in despertarlo.
How do you pronounce it?
/despeɾtaɾ a alɡjen/
Did you know?
- The verb despertar is a close relative of the English word 'expert'. Both languages trace these words back to the Latin roots for being 'awoken' to experience or notice something.
- The Spanish language has a distinction between despertar, which means to stop sleeping, and levantarse, which specifically means to physically get out of bed.
- The phrase despertar a alguien can be used metaphorically to describe a sudden realization or a social awakening. It describes the act of making someone aware of a truth they had previously ignored.
Examples in context
- Señor/Señora, es hora de levantarse.Sir/Madam, it's time to wake up.
- ¡Despierta amigo/amiga! Es hora de empezar el día.Wake up, friend! It's time to start the day.
- Oye, ya es hora de levantarse. ¡Arriba!Hey, it's time to wake up. Get up!
- ¡Eh, despiértate! No duermas más.Hey, wake up! Don't sleep anymore.
- ¿Puedes despertarme a las siete?Can you wake me up at seven?
- ¿Puedes despertar a alguien si se queda dormido?Can you wake someone up if they fall asleep?
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are talking about their sleeping children.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿ya es hora de despertar a alguien?Daniel, is it time to wake someone up already?
- DanielNo, deja que descansen un poco más.No, let them rest a little longer.
- ElenaPero vamos a llegar tarde a la escuela.But we are going to be late for school.
- DanielEstá bien, yo voy a despertar a alguien ahora.Alright, I will wake someone up now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, alguien, despertar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
