sueño
“sueño” means “sleepiness” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
sleepiness
Also: drowsiness, tiredness
📝 In Action
Tengo mucho sueño, me voy a dormir.
A1I'm very sleepy, I'm going to sleep.
Después de comer, siempre me entra el sueño.
A2After eating, I always get sleepy.
El bebé tiene sueño y está llorando.
A1The baby is sleepy and is crying.
dream
Also: dream
📝 In Action
Anoche tuve un sueño muy extraño sobre dragones.
A2Last night I had a very strange dream about dragons.
Mi sueño es ser un gran chef.
A2My dream is to be a great chef.
Fue un sueño hecho realidad.
B1It was a dream come true.
I dream
📝 In Action
Yo sueño con viajar a Japón algún día.
A2I dream of traveling to Japan someday.
A menudo sueño que puedo volar.
B1I often dream that I can fly.
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: sueño
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly says 'I am very sleepy'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from two Latin words: 'somnus', which meant 'sleep', and 'somnium', which meant 'dream'. Over time, they blended together in Spanish to create 'sueño', which cleverly covers both ideas.
First recorded: 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'sueño' and 'soñar'?
'Sueño' is the thing (a noun) – either the sleepiness you feel or the dream you have. 'Soñar' is the action (a verb) – the act of dreaming. So you 'tienes un sueño' (have a dream) and you 'sueñas' (you dream).
Why do you say 'tengo sueño' instead of 'estoy sueño'?
It's a great question! Spanish often uses the verb 'tener' (to have) for physical feelings or states that English expresses with 'to be'. Think of it as 'having' a feeling. You 'have' sleepiness ('tengo sueño'), 'have' hunger ('tengo hambre'), and 'have' thirst ('tengo sed'). It's a key pattern in Spanish.
How can I tell if 'sueño' means 'dream' or 'sleepiness'?
Look at the words around it! If you see 'tener' (like in 'tengo sueño'), it almost always means 'sleepiness'. If you see words like 'un' (a), 'mi' (my), or 'el' (the) before it, it's usually talking about a 'dream', either one you had while sleeping or a life goal.