Introduction
Trasnochar means “to stay up late”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Trasnochar means to stay up late, and it is the verb for going to bed after midnight: trasnochar por una fiesta, trasnochar estudiando. It is a fully regular -ar verb. This page shows trasnochar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.” — I stay up late for a party on Saturday.
Trasnochar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how trasnochar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use trasnochar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.” — I stay up late for a party on Saturday.
“¿Trasnochas estudiando para el examen?” — Do you stay up late studying for the exam?
“Trasnocha con amigos hasta las tres.” — He/she stays up late with friends until three.
“Nosotros trasnochamos viendo la televisión.” — We stay up late watching television.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show trasnochar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo trasnoché por una fiesta el sábado.” — Yesterday, I stayed up late for a party on Saturday. (preterite)
“Antes, él trasnochaba estudiando para el examen.” — Before, he used to stay up late studying for the exam. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of trasnochar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros trasnocharemos con amigos hasta las tres.” — Tomorrow, we will stay up late with friends until three. (future)
“¿Tú has trasnochado viendo la televisión?” — Have you stayed up late watching television? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros trasnocháis por una fiesta el sábado.” — You stay up late for a party on Saturday.
“Ellos trasnochan estudiando para el examen.” — They stay up late studying for the exam.
“Yo trasnocho con amigos hasta las tres.” — I stay up late with friends until three.
“Mi padre trasnocha viendo la televisión.” — My father stays up late watching television.
Trasnochar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how trasnochar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú trasnochas estudiando para el examen?” — Do you stay up late studying for the exam?
Pedro: “Sí, yo trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.” — Yes, I stay up late for a party on Saturday.
Marta: “Nosotros trasnochamos viendo la televisión.” — We stay up late watching television.
Pedro: “Y ellos trasnochan estudiando para el examen.” — And they stay up late studying for the exam.
Marta: “Vosotros trasnocháis con amigos hasta las tres.” — You stay up late with friends until three.
Pedro: “Sí, y él trasnocha por una fiesta el sábado.” — Yes, and he stays up late for a party on Saturday.
A short paragraph
Trasnocha por una fiesta el sábado, y nosotros trasnochamos viendo la televisión. Yo trasnocho estudiando para el examen, y ellos trasnochan con amigos hasta las tres. Trasnochar is part of everyday life, because stay up late is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with trasnochar
These are the errors learners actually make with trasnochar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo trasnocha por una fiesta el sábado.” Right: “Yo trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.” Why: The person matters: trasnocha is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is trasnocho. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo trasnocho estudiando para el examen.” Right: “Ayer yo trasnoché estudiando para el examen.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: trasnocho is happening now, while trasnoché is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating trasnochar and madrugar as identical in every context.” Right: “Trasnochar means to stay up late, while madrugar means to get up early, its opposite.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: trasnochar fits sentences such as Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado, while madrugar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy trasnochado estudiando para el examen.” Right: “Yo he trasnochado estudiando para el examen.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he trasnochado, has trasnochado, ha trasnochado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo trasnoché con amigos hasta las tres todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo trasnochaba con amigos hasta las tres todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (trasnochaba), not the preterite. The preterite (trasnoché) is for one finished action.
Quiz: trasnochar in use
Ten questions on trasnochar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ por una fiesta el sábado.” (You stay up late for a party on Saturday.)
- (a) trasnocháis
- (b) trasnocho
- (c) trasnochas
Answer: trasnocháis — The vosotros/as form of trasnochar in the present tense is trasnocháis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ estudiando para el examen.” (They stay up late studying for the exam.)
- (a) trasnochas
- (b) trasnochan
- (c) trasnocho
Answer: trasnochan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of trasnochar in the present tense is trasnochan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ por una fiesta el sábado.” (Yesterday I stayed up late for a party on Saturday.)
- (a) trasnochaste
- (b) trasnochó
- (c) trasnoché
Answer: trasnoché — In the preterite, the yo form of trasnochar is trasnoché.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ estudiando para el examen.” (Before, he used to stay up late studying for the exam.)
- (a) trasnochaba
- (b) trasnocho
- (c) trasnochabas
Answer: trasnochaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of trasnochar is trasnochaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ con amigos hasta las tres.” (Tomorrow we will stay up late with friends until three.)
- (a) trasnocharás
- (b) trasnocharemos
- (c) trasnocharé
Answer: trasnocharemos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of trasnochar is trasnocharemos.
6. What does trasnochar mean in English?
- (a) to stay up late
- (b) to transport
- (c) to get up early, its opposite
Answer: to stay up late — Trasnochar means “to stay up late”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo trasnocha por una fiesta el sábado.
- (b) Ellos trasnocha estudiando para el examen.
- (c) Yo trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.
Answer: Yo trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado. — “Yo trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I stay up late for a party on Saturday.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre trasnocha viendo la televisión.
- (b) Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.
- (c) Trasnochan por una fiesta el sábado.
Answer: Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado. — “Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of trasnochar in the present tense?
- (a) trasnocho
- (b) trasnochas
- (c) trasnochamos
Answer: trasnochamos — The nosotros form is trasnochamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros trasnocharemos con amigos hasta las tres.
- (b) Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.
- (c) Ayer, yo trasnoché por una fiesta el sábado.
Answer: Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado. — “Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I stay up late for a party on Saturday' in Spanish?
Say 'Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado todos los días'.
How do you say 'He stays up late studying for the exam' in Spanish?
Say 'Él trasnocha estudiando para el examen'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes trasnocha.
What is the difference between trasnochar and madrugar?
Trasnochar means to stay up late, while madrugar means to get up early, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use trasnochar when you mean to stay up late, as in 'Trasnocho por una fiesta el sábado', and use madrugar for to get up early, its opposite.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of trasnochar — every tense of trasnochar in one place.
- Trasnochar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on trasnochar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of trasnochar until they are automatic.