desperté
/des-per-TAY/
I woke up
The image shows the action of "I woke up."
desperté(Verb)
I woke up
?completed action in the past
I started
?figurative meaning, e.g., 'I started to feel'
📝 In Action
Desperté con el sonido de la lluvia.
A1I woke up with the sound of the rain.
Esta mañana, desperté muy temprano.
A1This morning, I woke up very early.
De repente, desperté y no sabía dónde estaba.
A2Suddenly, I woke up and didn't know where I was.
💡 Grammar Points
The Simple Past Tense
The 'é' ending means this action happened one time and finished in the past. It’s the form used when 'I' was the person who woke up.
Accent Mark is Key
The accent on the final 'e' in 'desperté' is not optional! It instantly tells the listener that the action is in the simple past and the subject is 'yo' (I).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Tenses
Mistake: "Desperto (without accent)"
Correction: The word 'desperto' (without an accent) means 'I wake up' (present tense, incorrect spelling for 'despierto') or 'he/she/it woke up' (preterite, incorrect spelling for 'despertó'). Always use the accent for 'I woke up': desperté.
This image illustrates the transitive meaning: "I woke up (someone)."
desperté(Verb)
I woke up (someone)
?causing someone else to stop sleeping
I aroused
?to trigger a feeling or emotion
,I awakened
?figurative sense of making someone aware
📝 In Action
Desperté a la niña porque era hora de irse.
B1I woke the girl up because it was time to leave.
Con mi discurso, desperté el interés de la audiencia.
B2With my speech, I aroused the audience's interest.
💡 Grammar Points
Action on Others
When you use 'desperté' and follow it with a person (like 'a mi amigo'), it means you were the cause of that person waking up.
⭐ Usage Tips
Figurative Use
You can 'wake up' abstract things like feelings or awareness. If you 'desperté una pasión,' it means 'I sparked a passion.'
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: desperté
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'desperté' to mean 'I woke someone else up'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'desperté' and 'me desperté'?
Both essentially mean 'I woke up.' 'Me desperté' uses the reflexive pronoun 'me,' clearly indicating that the action returned to you ('I woke myself up'). 'Desperté' (without 'me') is the basic form, often used when the waking was caused by an external factor (like a noise) or simply stating the time you woke up. They are very often interchangeable in casual speech, but 'me desperté' is technically more precise for self-waking.