The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Despertarse is used to give direct orders or instructions for someone to wake up, for example: ¡Despiértate! (Wake up!). It allows you to address someone directly and tell them to perform the action of waking up.

Despertarse is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes from ‘e’ to ‘ie’ in certain conjugations. This pattern is common for many Spanish verbs and must be accounted for when conjugating.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish):

Despertarse generally means to wake up or become awake, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To wake up: This is the most literal meaning, for example, ¡Despiértate! (Wake up!) You might say this to someone who is sleeping late.

To become aware or alert: Used figuratively, for example, ¡Despiértate y date cuenta de lo que está pasando! (Wake up and realize what’s going on!) This urges someone to become more aware of a situation.

To get motivated or energized: For example, ¡Despiértate y ponte a trabajar! (Wake up and get to work!) This pushes someone to become more motivated or active.

To snap out of it (colloquial): In a more casual way, for example, ¡Despiértate, hombre! (Snap out of it, man!) This tells someone to stop being distracted or unmotivated.

Examples

Examples of Despertarse in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Despiértate! Es hora de comenzar un nuevo día. (Wake up! It’s time to start a new day.)

Por favor, despiértese. Tenemos una reunión importante en 30 minutos. (Please wake up. We have an important meeting in 30 minutes.)

Vamos, amigos, despertémonos. ¡Hoy es un gran día para disfrutar! (Come on, friends, let’s wake up. Today is a great day to enjoy!)

Mamá: “¡Niños, despiértense! Es hora de ir a la escuela”. (Mom: “Kids, wake up! It’s time to go to school”.)

Después de una noche de fiesta, tu amigo te dice: “Despiértate, ¡ya es mediodía!” (After a night of partying, your friend tells you: “Wake up, it’s already noon!”)

En el campamento de verano, el instructor grita: “¡Despiértense, campistas! ¡Hoy tenemos una caminata emocionante!” (At the summer camp, the instructor shouts: “Wake up, campers! We have an exciting hike today!”)

Tu compañero de cuarto te sacude suavemente y dice: “Despiértate, se te hará tarde para tu vuelo”. (Your roommate gently shakes you and says: “Wake up, you’ll be late for your flight”.)

En la oficina, tu jefe te llama y dice: “Despiértese, tenemos una videoconferencia importante en 10 minutos”. (At the office, your boss calls you and says: “Wake up, we have an important video conference in 10 minutes”.)

Después de una siesta, tu pareja te dice cariñosamente: “Despiértate, dormilón. Es hora de preparar la cena”. (After a nap, your partner affectionately tells you: “Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s time to prepare dinner”.)

En un retiro de meditación, el instructor dice: “Despertémonos de nuestros pensamientos y concentrémonos en el presente”. (At a meditation retreat, the instructor says: “Let’s wake up from our thoughts and focus on the present”.)

Después de una larga noche de estudiar, tu amigo te sacude y dice: “¡Despiértate! ¡Tenemos un examen en una hora!” (After a long night of studying, your friend shakes you and says: “Wake up! We have an exam in an hour!”)

En un viaje de campamento, tu guía grita: “¡Despiértense, excursionistas! ¡Hoy vamos a escalar esa montaña!” (On a camping trip, your guide shouts: “Wake up, hikers! Today we’re going to climb that mountain!”)

Después de una noche de insomnio, tu amigo te dice: “Despiértate, ¿qué tal si vamos a correr para despejarnos?” (After a night of insomnia, your friend says: “Wake up, how about we go for a run to clear our heads?”)

En un retiro espiritual, el líder dice: “Despertémonos de nuestro sueño de la ignorancia y abramos nuestros corazones a la sabiduría”. (At a spiritual retreat, the leader says: “Let’s wake up from our slumber of ignorance and open our hearts to wisdom”.)

Después de una larga jornada de trabajo, tu pareja te sacude suavemente y dice: “Despiértate, cariño. Es hora de relajarse y disfrutar de la noche”. (After a long workday, your partner gently shakes you and says: “Wake up, honey. It’s time to relax and enjoy the evening”.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) 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.