Inklingo

acostarte

a-cos-tar-te/akosˈtaɾte/

acostarte means to go to bed (you, informal) in Spanish (Daily routine, preparing for sleep).

to go to bed (you, informal), to lie down (you, informal)

Also: to hit the sack (you, informal)
VerbA1irregular (stem-changing: o→ue) ar
A storybook illustration of a simplified figure lying comfortably in a cozy bed, tucked under blue covers, ready for sleep.
past Participleacostado
gerundacostándose
infinitiveacostarse

📝 In Action

Necesitas acostarte temprano hoy.

A1

You need to go to bed early today.

¿Vas a acostarte ya o vemos una película?

A2

Are you going to lie down now, or should we watch a movie?

Antes de acostarte, recuerda cepillarte los dientes.

A2

Before going to bed, remember to brush your teeth.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • dormir (to sleep)
  • tumbarse (to lie down)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • acostarse tardeto go to bed late
  • acostarse tempranoto go to bed early

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

él/ella/ustedse acostara
yome acostara
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acostaran
te acostaras
vosotrosos acostarais
nosotrosnos acostáramos

present

él/ella/ustedse acueste
yome acueste
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acuesten
te acuestes
vosotrosos acostéis
nosotrosnos acostemos

indicative

imperfect

él/ella/ustedse acostaba
yome acostaba
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acostaban
te acostabas
vosotrosos acostabais
nosotrosnos acostábamos

present

él/ella/ustedse acuesta
yome acuesto
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acuestan
te acuestas
vosotrosos acostáis
nosotrosnos acostamos

preterite

él/ella/ustedse acostó
yome acosté
ellos/ellas/ustedesse acostaron
te acostaste
vosotrosos acostasteis
nosotrosnos acostamos

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: acostarte

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses the reflexive pronoun 'te' with the verb 'acostar'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
acostarse(to go to bed)Verb
acostar(to lay down (someone else))Verb
la cama(the bed)Noun
🎵 Rhymes
levantartedespertarte
📚 Etymology

Comes from the Latin *ad* (to, toward) and *costa* (side or rib). The original idea was literally 'to put (oneself) to the side' or 'to lay down.'

First recorded: Medieval Latin period

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: deitar-seFrench: coucher

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'acostar' and 'acostarse'?

'Acostar' means to put someone else to bed (e.g., 'acostar al niño'). 'Acostarse' means to put yourself to bed, or to lie down (e.g., 'acostarse en el sofá'). The '-se' ending makes the action reflexive, meaning the subject and object are the same person.

Why does 'acostarte' have an accent mark in the imperative form 'acuéstate'?

When you attach pronouns (like 'te') to a command form, the word gets longer. Spanish rules require an accent mark to be added to keep the original stress on the same syllable, which prevents the pronunciation from changing.