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despertar

des-per-TARdes.peɾˈtaɾ

to wake (someone) up

Also: to rouse
VerbA1irregular (e→ie stem change) ar
A smiling adult gently taps a sleeping child's shoulder in a sunny bedroom to wake them up.
infinitivedespertar
gerunddespertando
past Participledespertado

📝 In Action

Mi alarma me despierta a las seis de la mañana.

A1

My alarm wakes me up at six in the morning.

El ruido despertó a todos los vecinos.

A2

The noise woke up all the neighbors.

to wake up

Also: to get up
VerbA1irregular (e→ie stem change), used reflexively ar
A young person stretching their arms above their head while sitting up in bed, eyes newly opened, symbolizing waking up oneself.
infinitivedespertarse
gerunddespertándose
past Participledespertado

📝 In Action

Me despierto a las siete sin alarma.

A1

I wake up at seven without an alarm.

¿A qué hora se despertaron ustedes hoy?

A2

What time did you all wake up today?

to arouse, to spark

Also: to trigger
VerbB1irregular (e→ie stem change) ar
A person gazing intently at a large, vibrant, blooming flower. A small, stylized glowing light travels from the flower toward the person's heart area, symbolizing the arousal of a feeling.
infinitivedespertar
gerunddespertando
past Participledespertado

📝 In Action

La música despertó una vieja nostalgia en ella.

B1

The music awoke an old nostalgia in her.

Su discurso despertó gran controversia en la prensa.

B2

His speech sparked great controversy in the press.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • despertar la curiosidad – to spark curiosity
  • despertar sospechas – to raise suspicions

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/usteddespierta
yodespierto
túdespiertas
ellos/ellas/ustedesdespiertan
nosotrosdespertamos
vosotrosdespertáis

imperfect

él/ella/usteddespertaba
yodespertaba
túdespertabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesdespertaban
nosotrosdespertábamos
vosotrosdespertabais

preterite

él/ella/usteddespertó
yodesperté
túdespertaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesdespertaron
nosotrosdespertamos
vosotrosdespertasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/usteddespierte
yodespierte
túdespiertes
ellos/ellas/ustedesdespierten
nosotrosdespertemos
vosotrosdespertéis

imperfect

él/ella/usteddespertara
yodespertara
túdespertaras
ellos/ellas/ustedesdespertaran
nosotrosdespertáramos
vosotrosdespertarais
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "despertar" in Spanish:

to arouse→to rouse→to spark→to trigger→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: despertar

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'despertar' to mean 'I wake up' (referring to myself)?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
el despertar(the awakening (noun)) — Noun
despierto(awake (adjective)) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin *expergere*, meaning 'to wake up,' specifically through the prefix *ex-* ('out of') and *pergere* ('to rouse'). It has been used in Spanish since the Middle Ages, maintaining its core meaning of moving from sleep to alertness.

First recorded: c. 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: despertarItalian: svegliare

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'despertar' and 'levantarse'?

'Despertar' (or 'despertarse') means to transition from being asleep to being awake. 'Levantarse' means to transition from lying down (in bed) to standing up. You can wake up (despertarse) and stay in bed for an hour before getting up (levantarse).

Is 'despertar' a difficult verb to conjugate?

It's considered slightly irregular because the vowel 'e' changes to 'ie' in many forms (like 'despierto'), but it's very predictable once you learn the pattern. The change only happens when that syllable is stressed.