Introduction

Acostarse means “to go to bed”, and this page covers exactly one thing: acostarse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for acostarse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about acostarse in the present. Acostarse is the verb for going to bed at night. It is the counterpart of levantarse, and the two verbs frame the whole day. For example: “Yo me acuesto a las once.” — I go to bed at eleven. Everything on this page uses the forms of acostarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Acostarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo me acuesto
tú te acuestas
él/ella/Ud. se acuesta
nosotros/as nos acostamos
vosotros/as os acostáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se acuestan

Gerund: acostando · Past participle: acostado

Because acostarse is reflexive, every form above appears with its pronoun in a real sentence: me, te, se, nos, os, se. So the yo form is used as “me acuesto”, the tú form as “te acuestas”, and so on. The pronoun comes before the conjugated verb, and it changes with the person, never with the tense. The gerund is acostando and the past participle is acostado.

How the present of acostarse is formed

Acostarse is a stem-changing -ar verb: the stem vowel changes from o → ue in the stressed forms. That means yo, tú, él/ella/Ud. and ellos/ellas/Uds. take the changed stem, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Start from the stem acost and add the regular -ar endings -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an: you get me acuesto, te acuestas, se acuesta, then back to the unchanged stem for nos acostamos and os acostáis, and the changed stem again for se acuestan. The nosotros and vosotros forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect the change everywhere — it is not there. Learn the four changed forms and the two unchanged forms as two groups and the pattern becomes automatic.

The stem change o → ue appears in me acuesto, te acuestas, se acuesta and se acuestan, and disappears in nos acostamos and os acostáis. Learn the six forms as pronoun + verb pairs, and the change falls into place with the pronoun. Remember too that acostar without the pronoun means to put someone else to bed, so the pronoun is doing real work here.

As a reflexive verb, acostarse always travels with its pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb in a normal sentence (“Me acuesto a las siete”) and attaches to the end of an infinitive when one follows, as in “Voy a acostarme” (I am going to go to bed). Learners who drop the pronoun change the meaning: despertar means to wake someone else up, while despertarse means to wake up yourself. Keep the pronoun and the verb together and the meaning stays clear.

When to use the present of acostarse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use acostarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Going to bed at night

Acostarse is the verb for going to bed at night. It is the counterpart of levantarse, and the two verbs frame the whole day. Example: “Yo me acuesto a las once.” — I go to bed at eleven.

2. Going to bed early or late

Acostarse temprano and acostarse tarde describe when you go to bed. They are the standard phrases for talking about your evening. Example: “Mi hijo se acuesta tarde los viernes.” — My son goes to bed late on Fridays.

3. Lying down to rest

Acostarse can also mean to lie down to rest, not only to sleep. Context tells the listener whether it is bedtime or a rest. Example: “Yo me acuesto un rato después de comer.” — I lie down for a while after lunch.

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and acostarse is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo me acuesto a las once.” — I go to bed at eleven.

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with acostarse in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros nos acostamos a las diez.” — We go to bed at ten.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me acuesto todos los días a las once.” — I go to bed every day at eleven.

  • Preterite: “Anoche yo me acosté a las doce.” — Last night I went to bed at twelve.

  • Todos los días describes a routine, so the present is right; anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos acostamos a las diez todas las noches.” — We go to bed at ten every night.

  • Preterite: “Nosotros nos acostamos a las once anoche.” — We went to bed at eleven last night.

  • Todas las noches signals repetition, so the present fits; anoche names one finished night, so the preterite fits.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me acuesto a las once.” — I go to bed at eleven.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me acosté a las once.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.

  • The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: acostarse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Yo me acuesto a las once.” — I go to bed at eleven.

  2. “¿Tú te acuestas temprano?” — Do you go to bed early?

  3. “Mi hijo se acuesta tarde los viernes.” — My son goes to bed late on Fridays.

  4. “Nosotros nos acostamos a las diez.” — We go to bed at ten.

  5. “Vosotros os acostáis después de la película.” — You go to bed after the film.

  6. “Ellos se acuestan pronto porque madrugan.” — They go to bed early because they get up early.

  7. “Yo me acuesto un rato después de comer.” — I lie down for a while after lunch.

  8. “El bebé se acuesta a las ocho.” — The baby goes to bed at eight.

Common mistakes with acostarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo acuesto a las once.” Right: “Yo me acuesto a las once.” Why: Without the pronoun, acuesto means I put someone else to bed: 'Acuesto a mi hijo'. With me, 'Yo me acuesto' means I go to bed myself. The pronoun changes the meaning completely.

  • Wrong: “Yo nos acostamos a las once.” Right: “Yo me acuesto a las once.” Why: The yo form is me acuesto, with the o → ue change, not nos acostamos. The change appears in yo, tú, él and ellos, while nosotros and vosotros keep the o.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros se acuestan a las diez.” Right: “Nosotros nos acostamos a las diez.” Why: Nosotros needs nos acostamos. The ellos form se acuestan belongs with ellos, and the pronoun must be nos, not se.

  • Wrong: “Ellos se acuesta pronto.” Right: “Ellos se acuestan pronto.” Why: Ellos needs se acuestan. The singular se acuesta belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el bebé.

Quiz: acostarse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a las once.” (I go to bed at eleven.)

  • (a) te acuestas
  • (b) se acuesta
  • (c) me acuesto

Answer: me acuesto — The yo form of acostarse in the present is me acuesto. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ temprano?” (Do you go to bed early?)

  • (a) se acuesta
  • (b) te acuestas
  • (c) me acuesto

Answer: te acuestas — The tú form of acostarse in the present is te acuestas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Mi hijo ______ tarde los viernes.” (My son goes to bed late on Fridays.)

  • (a) se acuesta
  • (b) me acuesto
  • (c) te acuestas

Answer: se acuesta — The él/ella/Ud. form of acostarse in the present is se acuesta. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a las diez.” (We go to bed at ten.)

  • (a) me acuesto
  • (b) te acuestas
  • (c) nos acostamos

Answer: nos acostamos — The nosotros/as form of acostarse in the present is nos acostamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of acostarse in the present?

  • (a) te acuestas
  • (b) os acostáis
  • (c) me acuesto

Answer: os acostáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os acostáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os acostáis después de la película.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ pronto porque madrugan.” (They go to bed early because they get up early.)

  • (a) me acuesto
  • (b) te acuestas
  • (c) se acuestan

Answer: se acuestan — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is se acuestan.

7. Acostarse is a stem-changing verb (o → ue). Which form keeps the ORIGINAL stem?

  • (a) nos acostamos
  • (b) me acuesto
  • (c) se acuestan

Answer: nos acostamos — In a o → ue stem-changing verb, nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem, while yo, tú, él and ellos take the changed stem. So nos acostamos is the unchanged form.

8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?

  • (a) Yo me acuesto todos los días a las once.
  • (b) Anoche yo me acosté a las doce.
  • (c) Anoche yo me acosté a las doce.

Answer: Yo me acuesto todos los días a las once. — “Yo me acuesto todos los días a las once.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.

Frequently asked questions

Is acostarse regular in the present tense?

No. Acostarse is a stem-changing reflexive verb: the o of the stem becomes ue in yo, tú, él and ellos (me acuesto, te acuestas, se acuesta, se acuestan), while nosotros and vosotros keep the o (nos acostamos, os acostáis). The endings are the regular -ar endings.

What is the difference between acostarse and acostar?

Acostar means to put someone to bed: 'Acuesto a mi hijo'. Acostarse means to go to bed yourself: 'Me acuesto a las once'. The pronoun changes the meaning from putting another person to bed to going to bed yourself.

Where does the pronoun go with acostarse?

Before the conjugated verb: 'Me acuesto a las once'. With an infinitive, it attaches to the end: 'Voy a acostarme'. The pronoun never disappears; it only moves.

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