The present tense of acostar is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, Me acuesto a las 10 p.m. todas las noches. (I go to bed at 10 p.m. every night.)

Acostar is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes in certain conjugations. The o changes to ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Acostar (to put to bed) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Acostar generally means to lie down or go to bed, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To lie down or go to bed: For example, Yo me acuesto a las 10 pm (I go to bed at 10 pm).

To put someone or something in bed: For example, Acuesto a mi hijo a las 8 pm (I put my son to bed at 8 pm).

To have sexual relations (vulgar): For example, Juan se acuesta con muchas mujeres (Juan sleeps with many women).

To lean or tilt something: For example, Acuesto la escalera contra la pared (I lean the ladder against the wall).

To put animals to rest (colloquial): For example, Acuesto a las gallinas en el gallinero (I put the hens to rest in the chicken coop).

Examples

Examples of Acostar in the Present Tense

Yo acuesto a mi hijo a las 8 de la noche. (I put my son to bed at 8 pm.)

¿A qué hora acuestas a tu bebé? (What time do you put your baby to bed?)

Mi abuela acuesta temprano a los niños. (My grandma puts the kids to bed early.)

Nosotros acostamos a nuestros hijos después de leerles un cuento. (We put our kids to bed after reading them a story.)

Ellos acuestan a su perro en una camita especial. (They put their dog to bed in a special little bed.)

Cuando viajo, acuesto temprano para descansar bien. (When I travel, I go to bed early to rest well.)

¿A qué hora acuestan a los niños en la guardería? (What time do they put the kids to bed at the daycare?)

Mi mamá acuesta a mi hermano menor todas las noches. (My mom puts my little brother to bed every night.)

Nosotros acostamos al bebé después de darle su biberón. (We put the baby to bed after giving him his bottle.)

Mis abuelos acuestan temprano porque son mayores. (My grandparents go to bed early because they are older.)

¿A qué hora acuestas normalmente? Yo acuesto a las 11 pm. (What time do you usually go to bed? I go to bed at 11 pm.)

Los niños acuestan a sus muñecas en pequeñas cunas. (The kids put their dolls to bed in little cribs.)

Después de un largo día, acuesto temprano para recargar energías. (After a long day, I go to bed early to recharge.)

Mis padres acuestan a mi hermanita a las 8:30 pm. (My parents put my little sister to bed at 8:30 pm.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Acostar (to put to bed) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.