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Conjugation Chart

“Despertarse” (to wake up) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Despertarse”

The preterite of despertarse is used to express the specific moment of waking up in the past. For example, you might say “I woke up early this morning,” indicating the exact time when you awoke.

This is a regular -ar reflexive verb that requires the appropriate reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos) before the conjugated verb form. The conjugation follows the standard -ar preterite pattern after adding the reflexive pronoun.

How to Use Despertarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of despertarse expresses specific moments of waking up.

To wake up: Used for the specific moment of awakening, for example, Me desperté a las seis (I woke up at six).

To become aware: Used figuratively for sudden realizations, for example, Se despertó a la realidad (He/she woke up to reality).

Real Life Examples of Despertarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me desperté a las seis de la mañana. (I woke up at six in the morning.)

El bebé se despertó llorando. (The baby woke up crying.)

¿A qué hora te despertaste hoy? (What time did you wake up today?)

Nos despertamos con el ruido de la tormenta. (We woke up with the noise of the storm.)

Mi hermano se despertó tarde para el trabajo. (My brother woke up late for work.)

Los niños se despertaron emocionados en Navidad. (The children woke up excited on Christmas.)

Me desperté con un dolor de cabeza terrible. (I woke up with a terrible headache.)

¿Por qué te despertaste tan temprano? (Why did you wake up so early?)

Ella se despertó con el sonido de la alarma. (She woke up with the sound of the alarm.)

Nos despertamos con el olor a café. (We woke up with the smell of coffee.)

Los pájaros se despertaron al amanecer. (The birds woke up at dawn.)

Me desperté sobresaltado por el ruido. (I woke up startled by the noise.)

¿Te despertaste de buen humor? (Did you wake up in a good mood?)

Todos se despertaron temprano para el viaje. (Everyone woke up early for the trip.)

Me desperté antes que sonara la alarma. (I woke up before the alarm went off.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.