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How to Say "roused" in Spanish

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despertó

Verb (Past Tense)A1General
Use this when someone or something actively woke you up from sleep or a state of distraction.

Examples

Mi amigo me despertó de mi siesta.

My friend roused me from my nap.

despertado

des-per-TAH-doh/des.perˈta.ðo/

Past ParticipleB1Formal/Figurative
Use this in more formal or figurative contexts, often describing a state of having been woken up or alerted.
A simple illustration of a child sitting up in a cozy bed, stretching their arms wide, indicating they have just woken up.

Examples

El ruido nos ha despertado a todos.

The noise has roused us all.

El bebé se ha despertado dos veces esta noche.

The baby has woken up twice tonight.

Ella había despertado al perro con su canto.

She had woken the dog up with her singing.

Si hubieras despertado más temprano, habríamos llegado a tiempo.

If you had woken up earlier, we would have arrived on time.

Forming Perfect Tenses

This form ('despertado') is always used with the verb 'haber' (to have) to create perfect tenses, such as the present perfect ('ha despertado') or the pluperfect ('había despertado').

Regular Ending

Even though the base verb 'despertar' changes its stem in the present tense (e.g., 'yo despierto'), its past participle is completely regular, simply adding the '-ado' ending.

Confusing Past Participle and Adjective

Mistake: “Using 'despertado' as an adjective (e.g., 'El niño está despertado').”

Correction: Use the irregular adjective form 'despierto' instead: 'El niño está despierto' (The child is awake).

Verb vs. Participle Confusion

Learners often confuse 'despertó' (the simple past tense verb) with 'despertado' (the past participle). Remember that 'despertó' refers to the action of waking someone up, while 'despertado' often describes the state of being woken or alerted, especially in more complex sentence structures.

Related Translations

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