The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of acostar is used to give direct orders or instructions related to lying down or going to bed, for example Acuéstate temprano. (Go to bed early.)

This is a stem-changing verb, where the ‘o’ changes to ‘ue’ in certain conjugations. The stem change occurs in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros forms.

Conjugations

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

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

To go to bed: For example, ¡Acuéstate ya! (Go to bed now!) This is the most common meaning, telling someone to lie down and go to sleep.

To have sex (vulgar): For example, ¡Acuéstame, papi! (Lay me down, daddy!) In some Latin American slang, acostar can vulgarly refer to having sexual intercourse.

To put an animal to rest: For example, ¡Acuéstalo con cuidado! (Lay him down gently!) When referring to pets or farm animals, it can mean to allow them to lie down and rest.

To knock someone down (aggressive): For example, ¡Acuéstalo de un golpe! (Knock him down with one punch!) In an aggressive context, it can mean to forcefully make someone fall or lie down.

Examples

Examples of Acostar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Acuéstate temprano esta noche! Necesitas descansar bien para el viaje de mañana. (Go to bed early tonight! You need to rest well for tomorrow’s trip.)

Antes de salir, acueste al bebé para su siesta. (Before going out, put the baby down for their nap.)

Amigo, ya es tarde. Acuéstate pronto para estar fresco mañana. (Friend, it’s late. Go to bed soon to be fresh tomorrow.)

Después de un largo día, acostémonos temprano para recargar energías. (After a long day, let’s go to bed early to recharge.)

Oye Juan, acuéstate ya. Mañana hay que madrugar para el trabajo. (Hey Juan, go to bed now. We have to wake up early for work tomorrow.)

Niños, acuéstense ahora mismo. Es la hora de dormir. (Kids, go to bed right now. It’s bedtime.)

Antes del viaje largo, acuéstense temprano para estar descansados. (Before the long trip, go to bed early to be well-rested.)

Abuela, acuéstate a descansar. Yo me encargo de la cena. (Grandma, go lie down and rest. I’ll take care of dinner.)

Compañeros, acostémonos pronto. Mañana es un día importante en la oficina. (Colleagues, let’s go to bed soon. Tomorrow is an important day at the office.)

Hijo, ya es muy tarde. Acuéstate ya para ir a la escuela mañana. (Son, it’s very late. Go to bed now to go to school tomorrow.)

Después de la fiesta, acuéstense a descansar para no tener resaca. (After the party, go to bed to rest so you don’t get a hangover.)

Cariño, acuéstate temprano. Mañana tenemos que levantarnos al amanecer. (Dear, go to bed early. Tomorrow we have to get up at dawn.)

Equipo, acuéstense pronto. El partido es a primera hora mañana. (Team, go to bed soon. The game is first thing tomorrow.)

Antes del vuelo, acuéstate a dormir unas horas para no estar cansado. (Before the flight, go to bed for a few hours so you’re not tired.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Acostar (to put 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.