Are you familiar with the word sueño in Spanish, whose meaning can change from "dream" to "sleepiness" depending upon whether it is used as a noun or within the verb tener sueño (to be sleepy)? Today's lesson will cover these terms as well as additional pertinent vocabulary for la hora de dormir or de acostarse (bedtime).

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Spanish Bedtime Verbs

Let's explore some Spanish bedtime verbs, which we've broken down into several categories.

Feeling Bedtime Verbs

First, we'll look at some Spanish verb phrases that describe how you might feel at bedtime, listening to their pronunciation in clips from our Yabla Spanish video library.

Estar cansado/a: to be tired

Bueno, yo también me voy a la cama, estoy muy cansado.

Well, I'm also going to bed, I'm very tired.

Caption 87, Muñeca Brava 43 La reunión - Part 1

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Tener sueño: to be sleepy

siento que todavía tengo sueño,

I feel that I'm still sleepy,

Caption 40, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados, usos y expresiones con "quedar" - Part 6

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Estar agotado/a: to be exhausted

Tengo... Estoy agotado.

I have... I'm exhausted.

Caption 22, Yago 11 Prisión - Part 6

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Now, let's learn a couple of more colloquial ways to convey the idea of being exhausted:

Estar muerto/a (literally "to be dead"):

Te juro, Mili, que estoy muerta.

I swear to you, Mili, that I'm exhausted.

Caption 2, Muñeca Brava 43 La reunión - Part 2

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Estar hecho polvo (literally "to be made into dust"):

"yo ya estoy hecho polvo.

"I'm exhausted already.

Caption 24, Pigueldito y Federico El cielo

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Pre-Bedtime Verbs

Next, let's take a look at several Spanish reflexive verbs for actions from many people's bedtime routines. 

Bañarse: to bathe/take a bath 

Cepillarse los dientes/lavarse los dientes: to brush your teeth

Ducharse: to take a shower

Lavarse la cara: to wash your face 

Let's hear a couple of these in action:

Ehm... Suelo ducharme con agua caliente. Después, ehm... suelo lavarme los dientes en el baño,

Um... I usually take a hot shower. After that, um... I usually brush my teeth in the bathroom,

Captions 2-3, El Aula Azul Actividades Diarias

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Sleep-related verbs

To top off the bedtime verbs, let's check out these sleep-related verbs:

Acostar: to put to bed

Acostarse: to go to bed

Descansar: to rest

Despertarse: to wake up

Dormir: to sleep 

Dormirse: to fall asleep 

Levantarse: to get up

Relajarse: to relax

Soñar: to dream

Soñar con: to dream about 

Roncar: to snore

It's worth noting that the concept of dreaming "about" something is expressed instead with the Spanish equivalent of "with," or the preposition con. Let's hear this construction in a clip from our library:

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Spanish Bedtime Nouns

Let's move on to some categories of sleepytime related nouns!

A couple of things to keep in mind:

1. As you may know, the term zapatillas can also refer to "sneakers" in some regions.

2.  The many words for "pajamas" in Spanish are similar but differ slightly due to being extranjerismos, or adaptations of a foreign word to another  language. Therefore, you may encounter spellings of this word with either a "j" or a "y" as well as both the singular and plural versions as equivalents for the always plural English term "pajamas." Let's listen to two variations:

Usa piyama lo más flojita posible 

Wear pajamas [that are] as loose as possible,

Caption 13, Los médicos explican Consejos para dormir

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A mí me gusta ponerme enseguida la pijama o ropa de cama.

I like to put on pajamas or sleepwear right away.

Caption 83, Natalia de Ecuador Vocabulario de prendas de vestir

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Beds, Bedrooms, and Bedclothes in Spanish

Now let's cover another type of "bedclothes" and some additional nouns in our bedtime environments with a couple of video examples. Note that the use of particular terms for items like a "bedroom," "blanket," etc. varies widely from region to region. 

Bed: la cama

Bedroom: la alcoba, el cuarto, el dormitorio, la habitación, la pieza, la recámara

Bedspread: la colcha, el cobertor, la cubrecama, la sobrecama

Blanket: la cobija, la manta, la frazada

Mattress: el colchón

Nightstand/Night table: la mesita de luz, la mesita de noche, la mesilla de noche, la mesa de noche

Pillow: la almohada

Sheet: la sábana

A mí me gusta cambiar las sábanas cada semana.

I like to change the sheets every week.

Caption 21, Ana Carolina Arreglando el dormitorio

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Y aquí tienes una almohada, ¿mm?

And here you have a pillow, hmm?

Caption 57, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 1 - La llegada de Sam - Part 3

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A Very Special Bedtime Noun

We'll conclude our section on Spanish bedtime nouns by hearing the noun el sueño used as the equivalent of three different English words:

Llevo toda la semana teniendo todas las noches el mismo sueño.

All week, I've been having the same dream every night.

Caption 6, El Aula Azul La Doctora Consejos: Hay y estar

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va a mejorar tu sueño.

it's going to improve your sleep.

Caption 17, Bienestar con Elizabeth Introducción al yoga

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Por tu culpa estoy muerta de sueño.

It's your fault I'm dying of sleepiness.

Caption 3, Muñeca Brava 46 Recuperación - Part 3

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Bedtime Sayings

Lastly, let's learn the Spanish versions of some common English phrases you might say to someone at bedtime:

Good night: Buenas noches

Sleep well: Que duermas bien, Que descanses (literally "I hope you rest")

Sweet dreams: Dulces sueños, Felices sueños (literally "Happy dreams")

 Que duermas/sueñes con los angelitos (literally I hope you sleep with/dream about the angels)

We encounter two of these phrases in the following clip:

Buenas noches. -Buenas noches. Buenas noches. -Que descanses, mi amor.

Good night. -Good night. Good night. -Sleep well, my love.

Captions 73-74, Muñeca Brava 43 La reunión - Part 1

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Remember that, in addition to meaning "Good night," Spanish-speakers also use the expression Buenas noches in contexts other than bedtime when English speakers would say "Good evening," for example, as a greeting at a restaurant in the late evening or at night. 

That's all for today. If all of these sleep-related terms have got you thinking about your own sleep, you might want to check out Silvia's Consejos para dormir mejor (Advice to Sleep Better), Los Médicos' (The Doctors') Consejos para dormir (Sleep Advice) or Soledad's series on El insomnio (Insomnia). In the meantime, we wish you excellent sleep, and don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.

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When traveling in a foreign country, you might want to order a glass of wine with dinner or have a beer with friends. But do you know how to say "wine" and "beer" in Spanish? In this lesson, we will teach you the words for those bebidas (beverages) as well as the names for several of the most popular liquors... just in case you want to have a trago (alcoholic beverage) instead!

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Beer

The standard word for beer in Spanish is cerveza:

"Llevo tres cervezas y todavía tengo sed", 

"I've had three beers, and I'm still thirsty,"

Caption 34, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados, usos y expresiones con "quedar" - Part 6

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Wine 

The word for wine in Spanish is vino. Let's hear it in action:

hay vino blanco.

there's white wine.

Caption 24, Ariana Cena especial

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As we just heard, vino blanco is "white wine" in Spanish. Now, let's find out how to say "red wine," which might be different than you thought!

Vino tinto es como se refiere al vino rojo en el resto del mundo, aquí en España. 

"Vino tinto"  is the name here in Spain for what's called "red wine" in the rest of the world.

Caption 50, Amaya Cata de vinos

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Rosé wine can also be referred to in Spanish as rose, rosé, or simply rosado. 

Sparkling Wine

"Sparkling wine" is the more general category for bubbly wines like champagne, cava, and prosecco. Let's learn how to say a few of these terms in Spanish:

El cava es el vino espumoso de España que sigue el mismo método que... que el champán,

Cava is the sparkling wine from Spain that follows the same method as... as champagne,

Captions 13-14, Feria de Vinos Españoles en Londres Bodegas Castell D'Age

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Alternatively, the words champaña or champagne itself may be used for "champagne."

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Liquor

Let's hear the names for many of the world's most popular types of liquor in the context of videos from our Spanish library.

Cognac:

Está Elisa elaborando unas trufitas de coñac 

Elisa is making some little cognac truffles

Caption 9, Horno San Onofre El Chocolate

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Gin: 

Su mujer era Ginebra, 

His wife was Guinevere,

Caption 42, El Aula Azul Adivina personajes históricos - Part 1

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Rum:

Lo que no puedes dejar de probar si vas a Cuba es el Ron Santiago,

What you can't miss trying if you go to Cuba is Ron Santiago [Santiago Rum],

Caption 24, Viajando con Fermín La Feria Internacional de los Países de Fuengirola - Part 3

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Tequila: 

Con un... -Claro, claro, sí. -la botella de tequila.

With a... -Of course, of course, yes. -the bottle of tequila.

Caption 40, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Karla y Fernando hablan de música

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Vodka:

Mis pensamientos son tan puros como vodka caro 

My thoughts are as pure as expensive vodka

Caption 5, Joselo Sobriedad

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Whiskey:

¡No tomo whisky! -¡Pero hacete hombre de una vez, che!

I don't drink whiskey! -But become a man once and for all!

Caption 23, Muñeca Brava 2 Venganza - Part 3

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And, as subcategories of whiskey, we have "Scotch," which can be known as whisky/güisgui escosés, or simply escosés and "bourbon" (bourbon, borbón, whisky/güisgui americano or borbónico).

Local Liquors:

Of course, in addition to these internationally renowned liquors, it might be interesting to try local favorites like fernet in Argentina, pisco in Peru, cocuy in Venezuela or aguardiente in Colombia, just to name a few, either alone or in the context of cócteles (cocktails).

Armed with this information, we hope you now feel equipped to order your favorite alcoholic beverage in Spanish, should you choose to. 
Just remember to do so in moderation (so as not to have to describe your hangover in Spanish), and write us with any of your comments, questions, or suggestions. ¡Salud (Cheers)!

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