pesadillas
peh-sah-DEE-yas
📝 In Action
Tuve pesadillas horribles después de ver esa película de terror.
A2I had horrible nightmares after watching that horror movie.
Las pesadillas de la guerra lo persiguen todavía.
B1The nightmares of the war still haunt him.
Arreglar el coche se convirtió en una pesadilla de gastos y demoras.
B2Fixing the car turned into a nightmare of expenses and delays.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Plural
Even when you are talking about just one scary dream experience, Spanish usually uses the plural form 'pesadillas' (nightmares) when talking about the general occurrence of bad dreams.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'sueños malos'
Mistake: "Usar 'sueños malos' para decir 'nightmares'."
Correction: Although 'sueños malos' literally means 'bad dreams,' the standard and much more common word for 'nightmare' is 'pesadilla' (singular) or 'pesadillas' (plural).
⭐ Usage Tips
The verb to use
To say 'I had a nightmare,' the most natural phrase is 'Tuve una pesadilla' (singular) or, more commonly, 'Tuve pesadillas' (plural, meaning the experience of having nightmares).
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: pesadillas
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'pesadillas'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'pesadillas' usually plural, even if I only had one bad dream?
In Spanish, it's very common to use 'pesadillas' (plural) to refer to the general experience of having bad dreams, or the sensation itself, rather than counting individual instances. Think of it as a condition you suffer from.
How do I say 'I had a nightmare'?
You can say 'Tuve una pesadilla' (using the singular noun), but it's more common and natural to say 'Tuve pesadillas' (I had nightmares/the experience of having nightmares).