Acostar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

acostar means “to put to bed” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Acostar means to put to bed, and it is the verb parents use every night: you put a child to bed, you put a baby to bed, you lay someone down to rest. Its reflexive partner acostarse means to go to bed yourself, and confusing the two is one of the classic learner mistakes. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of acostar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the acostar present tense page.

acostar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with acostar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo acuesto a los niños a las nueve. — I put the children to bed at nine.
  2. Él/Ella acuesta al bebé en su cuna. — He puts the baby to bed in his cot.
  3. Nosotros/as acostamos a mi padre después de comer. — We put my father to bed after lunch.
  4. Ellos/as acuestan a mi abuela para la siesta. — They put my grandmother to bed for her nap.

In the past

Four sentences with acostar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo acosté a mi padre después de comer. — Yesterday, I put my father to bed after lunch.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as acostábamos a mi abuela para la siesta. — Before, We used to put my grandmother to bed for her nap.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella acostó a los niños a las nueve. — Yesterday, He put the children to bed at nine.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as acostaban al bebé en su cuna. — As children, They used to put the baby to bed in his cot.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with acostar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú acostarás a los niños a las nueve. — Tomorrow, You will put the children to bed at nine.
  2. Yo acostaría al bebé en su cuna. — I would put the baby to bed in his cot.
  3. Espero que él acueste a mi padre después de comer. — I hope he puts my father to bed after lunch.
  4. Él/Ella ha acostado a mi abuela para la siesta. — He has put my grandmother to bed for her nap.

acostar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú acuestas a los niños a las nueve mañana? — Are you going to put the children to bed at nine tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo acuesto a los niños a las nueve todos los días. — Yes, I put the children to bed at nine every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana acostarás al bebé en su cuna? — And tomorrow, will you put the baby to bed in his cot? Luis: Claro, mañana acostaré al bebé en su cuna sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will put the baby to bed in his cot without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo acostaré a mi padre después de comer también. — Perfect. I will put my father to bed after lunch too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer acosté a mi padre después de comer. — Yesterday, I put my father to bed after lunch. Ana: ¿Y antes acostabas a mi abuela para la siesta? — And before, did you use to put my grandmother to bed for her nap? Luis: Sí, antes acostaba a mi abuela para la siesta todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to put my grandmother to bed for her nap every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos acostaron a los niños a las nueve? — And did your brothers put the children to bed at nine? Luis: Sí, ellos acostaron a los niños a las nueve por la tarde. — Yes, they put the children to bed at nine in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo acuesta a los niños a las nueve. — Right: Yo acuesto a los niños a las nueve. — The person matters: acuesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acuesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo acosto al bebé en su cuna. — Right: Yo acuesto al bebé en su cuna. — Acostar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
  3. Wrong: Treating acostar and acostarse as identical in every context. — Right: Acostar means to put to bed, while acostarse means to go to bed yourself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acostar fits sentences such as Acuesto a los niños a las nueve, while acostarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy acostado al bebé en su cuna. — Right: Yo he acostado al bebé en su cuna. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acostado, has acostado, ha acostado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo acosté a mi padre después de comer todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo acostaba a mi padre después de comer todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acostaba), not the preterite. The preterite (acosté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on acostar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a mi abuela para la siesta. (present tense) A. acuestan B. acuesto C. acuestas D. acuesta

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a los niños a las nueve. (preterite tense) A. acosté B. acostaste C. acostó D. acostamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ al bebé en su cuna. (imperfect tense) A. acostábamos B. acostabais C. acostabas D. acostaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a mi padre después de comer. (future tense) A. acostaremos B. acostará C. acostaré D. acostarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a mi abuela para la siesta. (conditional tense) A. acostaríamos B. acostaría C. acostarías D. acostaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a los niños a las nueve. (present-perfect tense) A. has acostado B. ha acostado C. hemos acostado D. he acostado

  7. What does acostar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to put to bed D. to go to bed yourself

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo acosté a mi padre después de comer. B. Yo acuesta a los niños a las nueve. C. Yo acuesto a los niños a las nueve. D. Él/Ella acuesta al bebé en su cuna.

  9. Which is the gerund of acostar, used with estar for the progressive? A. acostando B. acostado C. acuesto D. acosté

  10. Which is the past participle of acostar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. acostando B. acuesto C. acosté D. acostado

Answer key

  1. acuestan — The correct form here is acuestan.
  2. acostamos — The correct form here is acostamos.
  3. acostabas — The correct form here is acostabas.
  4. acostará — The correct form here is acostará.
  5. acostaríamos — The correct form here is acostaríamos.
  6. he acostado — The correct form here is he acostado.
  7. to put to bed — Acostar means to put to bed. Acostarse means to go to bed yourself, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo acuesta a los niños a las nueve. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo acuesto a los niños a las nueve.. The person matters: acuesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acuesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. acostando — The gerund of acostar is acostando: estoy acostando.
  10. acostado — The past participle of acostar is acostado: he acostado, has acostado, ha acostado.

Frequently asked questions

What does acostar mean?

Acostar means to put to bed. Acostar means to put to bed, and it is the verb parents use every night: you put a child to bed, you put a baby to bed, you lay someone down to rest. Its reflexive partner acostarse means to go to bed yourself, and confusing the two is one of the classic learner mistakes.

When do people use acostar most?

People use acostar most in everyday situations such as Yo acuesto a los niños a las nueve. and Ayer, Yo acosté a mi padre después de comer.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between acostar and acostarse?

Acostar means to put to bed, while acostarse means to go to bed yourself. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of acostar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of acostar as your reference, the acostar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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