The preterite of despertarse is used to express when someone woke up at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I woke up at 7 AM yesterday” – “Me desperté a las 7 ayer.”
This is a regular -ar reflexive verb in the preterite tense. Remember to include the appropriate reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) before the conjugated verb form.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | me desperté |
| Tú | te despertaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | se despertó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | nos despertamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | os despertasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | se despertaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Despertarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of despertarse expresses the moment of waking up.
To wake up: Indicates the specific moment of awakening, for example Me desperté a las seis (I woke up at six), or Se despertaron con el ruido (They woke up with the noise).
To become aware: Used figuratively for realizing something, for example Se despertó a la realidad (They woke up to reality).
Examples
Examples of Despertarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Me desperté temprano para ir al aeropuerto. (I woke up early to go to the airport.)
¿A qué hora te despertaste ayer? (What time did you wake up yesterday?)
Se despertó con el ruido de la tormenta. (He/she woke up with the noise of the storm.)
Nos despertamos al amanecer. (We woke up at dawn.)
Los niños se despertaron emocionados en Navidad. (The children woke up excited on Christmas.)
Me desperté con dolor de cabeza. (I woke up with a headache.)
Te despertaste de mal humor. (You woke up in a bad mood.)
Se despertó sobresaltado por el sueño. (He woke up startled from the dream.)
Nos despertamos con el olor a café. (We woke up to the smell of coffee.)
Se despertaron tarde para la reunión. (They woke up late for the meeting.)
Me desperté antes que sonara la alarma. (I woke up before the alarm went off.)
¿Por qué te despertaste tan temprano? (Why did you wake up so early?)
Se despertó en medio de la noche. (He/she woke up in the middle of the night.)
Nos despertamos con el canto de los pájaros. (We woke up to the birds singing.)
Se despertaron con mucha energía. (They woke up with a lot of energy.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Despertarse (to wake up) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo me desperté | I woke up |
| Tú te despertaste | You woke up |
| Él / Ella / Usted se despertó | He / She / You (formal) woke up |
| Nosotros / Nosotras nos despertamos | We woke up |
| Vosotros / Vosotras os despertasteis | You all woke up |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes se despertaron | They / You all (formal) woke up |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.