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 todos los días. (I used to wake up at 7 every day.)

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 (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of despertarse is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

Waking up gradually: For example, Cuando era niño, me despertaba lentamente los domingos. (When I was a child, I would wake up slowly on Sundays.)

Being in the process of waking up: For example, Mi hermana se despertaba cuando sonó la alarma. (My sister was waking up when the alarm went off.)

Waking up habitually: For example, En esa época, me despertaba a las 6 am para ir al trabajo. (Back then, I would wake up at 6 am to go to work.)

Colloquial usage: For example, ¡Despiértate, flojo! ¿Hasta cuándo vas a seguir durmiendo? (Wake up, lazy! How long are you going to keep sleeping?)

Examples

Examples of Despertarse in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, me despertaba temprano los fines de semana para ver la televisión. (When I was a child, I would wake up early on weekends to watch TV.)

Mi abuela se despertaba con el canto de los pájaros todas las mañanas. (My grandmother would wake up to the singing of birds every morning.)

Antes de tener hijos, me despertaba tarde los domingos para disfrutar del día. (Before having kids, I would sleep in late on Sundays to enjoy the day.)

Durante las vacaciones, nos despertábamos sin alarma y descansábamos más. (During vacations, we would wake up without an alarm and rest more.)

En la universidad, me despertaba con resaca algunos fines de semana. (In college, I would sometimes wake up hungover on weekends.)

Cuando vivía solo, me despertaba con el ruido del tráfico matutino. (When I lived alone, I would wake up to the noise of morning traffic.)

De pequeño, me despertaba emocionado el día de mi cumpleaños. (As a child, I would wake up excited on my birthday.)

Mis padres se despertaban temprano para preparar el desayuno familiar. (My parents would wake up early to prepare the family breakfast.)

Cuando tenía pesadillas, me despertaba agitado y sudando. (When I had nightmares, I would wake up agitated and sweating.)

En los campamentos de verano, nos despertábamos con el sonido de la naturaleza. (At summer camps, we would wake up to the sounds of nature.)

Antes de un viaje importante, me despertaba con ansiedad por los preparativos. (Before an important trip, I would wake up anxious about the preparations.)

Cuando estaba enfermo, me despertaba con dolores y escalofríos. (When I was sick, I would wake up with aches and chills.)

En las mañanas frías, me despertaba temblando de frío bajo las sábanas. (On cold mornings, I would wake up shivering under the sheets.)

Después de una noche de fiesta, nos despertábamos con resaca y cansancio. (After a night of partying, we would wake up hungover and tired.)

Cuando era joven, me despertaba lleno de energía y listo para el día. (When I was young, I would wake up full of energy and ready for the day.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.