Despertar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Despertar in Spanish

Despertar means “to wake,” “to awaken,” or figuratively “to arouse.” You will learn its e → ie present change, regular past/future families, subjunctive forms, and commands.

Despertar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Despertar has an e → ie stem change in stressed present-family forms, which use despiert-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras retain despert-.

Despertar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber in compound forms. The participle despertado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	despertar	to wake / awaken
Gerund	despertando	waking / awakening
Past participle	despertado	woken / awakened

Despertar meaning and essential uses

Despertar can be transitive: interrupting someone’s sleep, as in Despierto a los niños a las siete. — “I wake the children at seven.”

RAE also records intransitive and pronominal uses for ceasing to sleep, plus figurative meanings such as awakening memories, reflection, appetite, suspicion, desire, or emotion.

Despertar irregular conjugation patterns

Present indicative is despierto, despiertas, despierta, despertamos, despertáis, despiertan. The stem change e → ie appears in stressed forms only.

Present subjunctive is despierte, despiertes, despierte, despertemos, despertéis, despierten. Preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, gerund despertando, and participle despertado are regular.

Despertar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Despertar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. Stressed forms use despiert-; nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras retain despert-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	despierto	I wake / awaken
Tú — you, singular informal	despiertas	you wake / awaken
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despierta	he / she wakes / awakens; you wake / awaken (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertamos	we wake / awaken
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertáis	you wake / awaken (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despiertan	they wake / awaken; you wake / awaken (plural)

• Despierto a los niños a las siete. — I wake the children at seven.

Despertar preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	desperté	I woke / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	despertaste	you woke / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despertó	he / she woke / awakened; you woke / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertamos	we woke / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertasteis	you woke / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despertaron	they woke / awakened; you woke / awakened (plural)

• Ayer desperté a Marta temprano. — Yesterday I woke Marta early.

Despertar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	despertaba	I used to wake / awaken / was waking / awakening
Tú — you, singular informal	despertabas	you used to wake / awaken / were waking / awakening
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despertaba	he / she used to wake / awaken / was waking / awakening; you used to wake / awaken / were waking / awakening (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertábamos	we used to wake / awaken / were waking / awakening
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertabais	you used to wake / awaken / were waking / awakening (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despertaban	they used to wake / awaken / were waking / awakening; you used to wake / awaken / were waking / awakening (plural)

• Antes despertábamos al perro al salir. — We used to wake the dog when leaving.

Despertar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus despertando.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy despertando	I am waking / awakening
Tú — you, singular informal	estás despertando	you are waking / awakening
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está despertando	he / she is waking / awakening; you are waking / awakening (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos despertando	we are waking / awakening
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis despertando	you are waking / awakening (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están despertando	they are waking / awakening; you are waking / awakening (plural)

• Estoy despertando a todos poco a poco. — I am waking everyone gradually.

Despertar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir + a + despertar.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a despertar	I am going to wake / awaken
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a despertar	you are going to wake / awaken
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a despertar	he / she is going to wake / awaken; you are going to wake / awaken (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a despertar	we are going to wake / awaken
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a despertar	you are going to wake / awaken (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a despertar	they are going to wake / awaken; you are going to wake / awaken (plural)

• Voy a despertar a Ana a las ocho. — I am going to wake Ana at eight.

Despertar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	despertaré	I will wake / awaken
Tú — you, singular informal	despertarás	you will wake / awaken
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despertará	he / she will wake / awaken; you will wake / awaken (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertaremos	we will wake / awaken
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertaréis	you will wake / awaken (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despertarán	they will wake / awaken; you will wake / awaken (plural)

• Despertaremos al grupo antes del amanecer. — We will wake the group before dawn.

Despertar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	despertaría	I would wake / awaken
Tú — you, singular informal	despertarías	you would wake / awaken
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despertaría	he / she would wake / awaken; you would wake / awaken (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertaríamos	we would wake / awaken
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertaríais	you would wake / awaken (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despertarían	they would wake / awaken; you would wake / awaken (plural)

• Despertaría a Marta solo si fuera necesario. — I would wake Marta only if necessary.

Despertar present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he despertado	I have woken / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	has despertado	you have woken / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha despertado	he / she has woken / awakened; you have woken / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos despertado	we have woken / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis despertado	you have woken / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han despertado	they have woken / awakened; you have woken / awakened (plural)

• He despertado a todos. — I have woken everyone.

Despertar past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había despertado	I had woken / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	habías despertado	you had woken / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había despertado	he / she had woken / awakened; you had woken / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos despertado	we had woken / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais despertado	you had woken / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían despertado	they had woken / awakened; you had woken / awakened (plural)

• Ya habíamos despertado a los niños cuando llamaste. — We had already woken the children when you called.

Despertar future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré despertado	I will have woken / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás despertado	you will have woken / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá despertado	he / she will have woken / awakened; you will have woken / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos despertado	we will have woken / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis despertado	you will have woken / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán despertado	they will have woken / awakened; you will have woken / awakened (plural)

• Para entonces habrán despertado a todos los participantes. — By then they will have woken all the participants.

Despertar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría despertado	I would have woken / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías despertado	you would have woken / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría despertado	he / she would have woken / awakened; you would have woken / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos despertado	we would have woken / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais despertado	you would have woken / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían despertado	they would have woken / awakened; you would have woken / awakened (plural)

• Habría despertado al niño más tarde. — I would have woken the child later.

Despertar subjunctive conjugations

Despertar present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Stressed forms use despiert-; nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use despert-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	despierte	that I wake / awaken
Tú — you, singular informal	despiertes	that you wake / awaken
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despierte	that he / she wake / awaken; that you wake / awaken (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertemos	that we wake / awaken
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertéis	that you wake / awaken (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despierten	that they wake / awaken; that you wake / awaken (plural)

• Quiero que despiertes a Marta. — I want you to wake Marta.

Despertar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	despertara	that I woke / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	despertaras	that you woke / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despertara	that he / she woke / awakened; that you woke / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertáramos	that we woke / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertarais	that you woke / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despertaran	that they woke / awakened; that you woke / awakened (plural)

• Preferían que despertáramos a todos a las siete. — They preferred that we wake everyone at seven.
• Era mejor que despertases al niño con suavidad. — It was better for you to wake the child gently.

Despertar future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms belong mainly to formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical registers.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	despertare	if / when I should wake / awaken
Tú — you, singular informal	despertares	if / when you should wake / awaken
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	despertare	if / when he / she should wake / awaken; if / when you should wake / awaken (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	despertáremos	if / when we should wake / awaken
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertareis	if / when you should wake / awaken (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	despertaren	if / when they should wake / awaken; if / when you should wake / awaken (plural)

• Quien despertare a los residentes durante la noche deberá justificarlo. — Whoever should wake the residents during the night must justify it.

Despertar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya despertado	that I have woken / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas despertado	that you have woken / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya despertado	that he / she has woken / awakened; that you have woken / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos despertado	that we have woken / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis despertado	that you have woken / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan despertado	that they have woken / awakened; that you have woken / awakened (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas despertado a tiempo al equipo. — I am glad that you woke the team on time.

Despertar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera despertado	that I had woken / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras despertado	that you had woken / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera despertado	that he / she had woken / awakened; that you had woken / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos despertado	that we had woken / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais despertado	that you had woken / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran despertado	that they had woken / awakened; that you had woken / awakened (plural)

• Si hubiera despertado antes a Marta, habría llegado a tiempo. — If I had woken Marta earlier, she would have arrived on time.
• Si hubieses despertado al niño, habría empezado a llorar. — If you had woken the child, he would have started crying.

Despertar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant despertado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere despertado	if / when I should have woken / awakened
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres despertado	if / when you should have woken / awakened
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere despertado	if / when he / she should have woken / awakened; if / when you should have woken / awakened (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos despertado	if / when we should have woken / awakened
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis despertado	if / when you should have woken / awakened (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren despertado	if / when they should have woken / awakened; if / when you should have woken / awakened (plural)

• Si hubieren despertado a pacientes adicionales, deberán registrarlo. — If they should have woken additional patients, they must record it.

Despertar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Despertar affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	despierta	wake
Usted — you, singular formal	despierte	wake (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	despertemos	let’s wake
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	despertad	wake (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	despierten	wake (plural)

• Despierta a Marta a las siete. — Wake Marta at seven.

Despertar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no despiertes	do not wake
Usted — you, singular formal	no despierte	do not wake (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no despertemos	let’s not wake
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no despertéis	do not wake (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no despierten	do not wake (plural)

• No despiertes al bebé. — Do not wake the baby.

Common constructions with Despertar

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• despertar a alguien. — to wake someone.
• despertar algo in figurative uses. — to awaken / arouse a memory, feeling, suspicion, appetite, or interest.
• despertar / despertarse. — to wake up; Spanish allows intransitive and pronominal patterns depending on usage.

Example sentences with Despertar

These examples reinforce useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• El ruido despertó a todos. — The noise woke everyone.
• Esta noticia despierta mucha curiosidad. — This news arouses a lot of curiosity.
• Su voz despertó un recuerdo. — His / her voice awakened a memory.
• Espero que no despiertes al bebé. — I hope you do not wake the baby.
• Ya han despertado a los niños. — They have already woken the children.
• Despierta al grupo con calma. — Wake the group calmly.

Regional and usage notes for Despertar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms where vos is used.

• Vos despertás a los niños temprano. — You wake the children early. (voseo)
• Despertá a Marta a las siete. — Wake Marta at seven. (affirmative vos command)

For despertar, track stressed e → ie: despierto / despierte versus unstressed despertamos / despertemos. The remaining major tense families and non-finite forms are regular.