The Imperfect Tense of Despertarse is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Me despertaba a las 7 cada mañana. (I used to wake up at 7 every morning.)

Despertarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect (indicative) of despertarse is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past, or to set the scene for another past action.

To wake up: For example, Cuando era niño, me despertaba temprano los domingos. (When I was a child, I would wake up early on Sundays.)

To become aware: For example, Me despertaba a la realidad de que tendría que trabajar duro. (I was becoming aware of the reality that I would have to work hard.)

To awaken (figuratively): For example, La música me despertaba emociones profundas. (The music would awaken deep emotions in me.)

To start working or functioning (colloquial): For example, El ordenador no se despertaba por las mañanas. (The computer wouldn’t start working in the mornings.)

Examples

Examples of Despertarse in the Imperfect Tense

Cada mañana, yo me despertaba con el canto de los pájaros. (Every morning, I would wake up to the singing of birds.)

Cuando era niño, me despertaba muy temprano para ayudar a mis padres en el campo. (When I was a child, I would wake up very early to help my parents in the field.)

Antes de tener hijos, nos despertábamos tarde los fines de semana. (Before having kids, we would sleep in late on weekends.)

Durante las vacaciones, se despertaba a las diez de la mañana. (During the holidays, he would wake up at ten in the morning.)

Mis abuelos se despertaban con el amanecer para comenzar sus labores diarias. (My grandparents would wake up at dawn to start their daily chores.)

En la universidad, me despertaba tarde porque no tenía clases hasta la tarde. (In college, I would wake up late because I didn’t have classes until the afternoon.)

Cuando te despertabas de mal humor, era mejor no molestarte. (When you would wake up in a bad mood, it was better not to bother you.)

Antes de tener un reloj despertador, nos despertábamos con los primeros rayos del sol. (Before having an alarm clock, we would wake up with the first rays of the sun.)

En el campamento de verano, nos despertábamos temprano para hacer caminatas por la montaña. (At summer camp, we would wake up early to go hiking in the mountains.)

Cuando se despertaba tarde, siempre llegaba tarde al trabajo. (When he would wake up late, he would always arrive late to work.)

Los domingos, me despertaba con el olor del desayuno que preparaba mi mamá. (On Sundays, I would wake up to the smell of breakfast that my mom was cooking.)

Aunque se despertaban temprano, mis hermanos siempre se quedaban en la cama un rato más. (Even though they would wake up early, my siblings would always stay in bed a little longer.)

Cuando nos despertábamos con resaca, tomábamos un remedio casero para aliviar la molestia. (When we would wake up with a hangover, we would take a home remedy to relieve the discomfort.)

En los días de mucho calor, me despertaba sudando y con la necesidad de tomar algo fresco. (On very hot days, I would wake up sweating and needing to drink something cool.)

Aunque se despertaba temprano, ella siempre se tomaba su tiempo para disfrutar del café matutino. (Even though she would wake up early, she would always take her time to enjoy her morning coffee.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.