Inklingo

How to Say "nightmares" in Spanish

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pesadillas

/peh-sah-DEE-yas//pesaˈðiʎas/

nounA2general
Use 'pesadillas' when you specifically want to talk about scary dreams that cause distress.
A storybook image of a child sleeping soundly in a bed in a dark room. A large, slightly scary, gray shadow figure is hovering silently above the child's head, symbolizing a nightmare.

Examples

Tuve pesadillas horribles después de ver esa película de terror.

I had horrible nightmares after watching that horror movie.

Las pesadillas de la guerra lo persiguen todavía.

The nightmares of the war still haunt him.

Arreglar el coche se convirtió en una pesadilla de gastos y demoras.

Fixing the car turned into a nightmare of expenses and delays.

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.

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).

sueños

/SWEN-yohs//ˈsweɲos/

nounA2general
Use 'sueños' when referring to dreams in general, but it can imply bad dreams if the context suggests negativity or strangeness, often clarified with 'malos'.
A sleeping child resting peacefully on a soft blue cloud, with vibrant, abstract shapes and stars gently floating out from their head, representing the stories and images experienced during sleep.

Examples

Anoche tuve sueños muy extraños.

Last night I had very strange dreams.

A veces no recuerdo mis sueños por la mañana.

Sometimes I don't remember my dreams in the morning.

Mi hijo tiene malos sueños después de ver películas de miedo.

My son has bad dreams after watching scary movies.

Always Masculine

Even though it ends in -os, 'sueños' is a masculine word. Always use masculine words like 'los', 'mis', or 'unos' with it. For example, 'los sueños' (the dreams).

Confusing 'Pesadillas' with general 'Sueños'

Learners often use 'sueños' for all dreams, but it's important to remember that 'pesadillas' is the specific term for frightening nightmares. While 'sueños' can imply bad dreams, 'pesadillas' leaves no room for doubt.

Related Translations

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