The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Acostarse is used to give direct orders or instructions for someone to go to bed or lie down, for example Acuéstate temprano esta noche. (Go to bed early tonight.)

This verb follows the o to ue stem-changing pattern in the imperative mood, where the o in the stem changes to ue in certain conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Acostarse (to go to bed) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish):

Acostarse generally means to lie down or go to bed, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To lie down, for example, ¡Acuéstate en la cama! (Lie down on the bed!)

To go to bed: To retire for the night, for example, ¡Acuéstate ya, es muy tarde! (Go to bed now, it’s very late!)

To have sex (vulgar): A crude way of telling someone to have sexual intercourse, for example, ¡Acuéstate conmigo! (Have sex with me!)

To give up (colloquial): To quit or stop trying, for example, ¡No te acuestes todavía, sigue intentándolo! (Don’t give up yet, keep trying!)

To calm down (colloquial): To relax or stop being agitated, for example, ¡Acuéstate un rato y respira profundo! (Calm down for a bit and take deep breaths!)

Examples

Examples of Acostarse in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Acuéstate y descansa un rato! (Lie down and rest for a bit!)

Señor, por favor acuéstese en la camilla para el examen. (Sir, please lie down on the examination table for the exam.)

Niños, ya es tarde. Acostémonos para estar listos mañana. (Kids, it’s late. Let’s go to bed to be ready for tomorrow.)

Amigos, acuéstense en el pasto y miren las estrellas. (Friends, lie down on the grass and look at the stars.)

Mamá, tengo un fuerte dolor de cabeza. ¿Puedo acostarme? (Mom, I have a bad headache. Can I lie down?)

Antes de la cirugía, el médico le dijo: “Acuéstese y respire profundamente.” (Before the surgery, the doctor told him: “Lie down and breathe deeply.”)

En el retiro de yoga, el instructor nos pidió: “Acostémonos en posición de cadáver.” (At the yoga retreat, the instructor asked us: “Let’s lie down in corpse pose.”)

Después de un largo día de trabajo, mi esposa me dijo: “Acuéstate en el sofá y pondré una película.” (After a long day at work, my wife told me: “Lie down on the couch and I’ll put on a movie.”)

En la playa, mi amigo me gritó: “¡Acuéstate y toma un poco de sol!” (At the beach, my friend yelled: “Lie down and get some sun!”)

Cuando llegué al hotel, el recepcionista me dijo: “Acuéstese y relájese. Disfrute su estancia.” (When I arrived at the hotel, the receptionist told me: “Lie down and relax. Enjoy your stay.”)

En la sala de emergencias, la enfermera me indicó: “Acuéstese aquí mientras esperamos al doctor.” (In the emergency room, the nurse instructed me: “Lie down here while we wait for the doctor.”)

Antes del masaje, la masajista me dijo: “Acuéstese boca abajo y respire profundamente.” (Before the massage, the masseuse told me: “Lie down on your stomach and breathe deeply.”)

En la clase de meditación, el instructor nos guió: “Acostémonos y enfoquémonos en nuestra respiración.” (In the meditation class, the instructor guided us: “Let’s lie down and focus on our breathing.”)

Después de un día agotador de turismo, mi amigo bromeó: “¡Acuéstense, vagos! ¡Descansaremos un rato!” (After an exhausting day of sightseeing, my friend joked: “Lie down, you lazy bums! We’ll rest for a bit!”)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Acostarse (to go to bed) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.