cuando me despierte
/kwando me despjeɾte/from spelling rules
To say "when I wake up" in Spanish, talking about a future moment, use cuando me despierte.
cuando me despierte refers to the next time you wake up, as in I will call you when I wake up.
What does it mean word for word?
cuando means when, me means myself and despierte comes from the verb to wake up.
How does it change in a sentence?
despierte is in the subjunctive because it refers to a future moment. For something you do every morning, Spanish uses the ordinary present form instead, which ends in o.
Did you know?
- The reflexive me in cuando me despierte is essential because, without it, the verb despertar means to wake someone else up. Saying cuando despierte without the me implies you are waiting for another person to wake up.
- While despertar means to wake up, Spanish speakers often use levantar to mean the same thing. However, levantar specifically refers to the physical act of getting out of bed, whereas despertar is only the act of opening your eyes.
- The word cuando is a distant relative of the English word 'cue'. Both trace their origins back to the same Latin roots regarding time and signals.
Examples in context
- Te llamaré cuando me despierte.I will call you when I wake up.
- Cuando me despierte, buscaré mis gafas.When I wake up, I will look for my glasses.
- Comeré algo cuando me despierte.I will eat something when I wake up.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are talking on the phone late at night.
- Javier¿Nos vemos mañana temprano?Will we see each other early tomorrow?
- SofíaSí, te enviaré un mensaje cuando me despierte.Yes, I will send you a message when I wake up.
- JavierPerfecto, Sofía, descansa mucho.Perfect, Sofía, rest a lot.
- SofíaGracias, Javier, buenas noches.Thank you, Javier, good night.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuando, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
