Acostar Conjugation in Spanish

Overview

“Acostar” in Spanish translates to “to put to bed” or “to lay down” in English. Being an irregular verb, it presents unique conjugation patterns across different tenses. Explore below to discover its variations across the 18 essential Spanish tenses. Verbs similar to “acostar” include “asentar.”

Indicative Tenses of Acostar

Let’s delve into the indicative tense conjugations, an essential tense indicating direct actions, of the verb “acostar.”

Present Indicative

The present indicative tense describes what happens regularly or is happening currently. Here’s how “acostar” is used:

Preterite Indicative

The preterite indicative is used for actions completed in the past. Here’s “acostar” in action:

Imperfect Indicative

The imperfect indicative captures ongoing or habitual past actions. See how “acostar” is applied:

Ensure to follow through the entire tenses for a comprehensive understanding of all the indicative tenses.

Acostar in the Present Tense

The present tense in Spanish is used for actions that are currently taking place or will happen in the immediate future. This tense also helps describe well-known facts and general truths. For the verb “acostar,” this tense indicates the act of putting someone to bed. For example, “acuesto” means “I put to bed.”

Below is the conjugation table for “acostar” in the present tense:

Examples:

• Yo siempre acuesto a mi hermano pequeño a las ocho de la noche.
• ¿A qué hora te acuestas tú normalmente los fines de semana?
• Mis padres me acuestan temprano cuando tengo que ir al colegio.

Acostar in the Simple Past Tense

The Simple Past Tense of “acostar” is utilized to describe activities that have been finished in the past at a definite moment. For example, “acosté,” which translates to “I put to bed.”

In Spanish, the Simple Past Tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Indefinido.”

Examples:

1. “Ayer, yo acosté a los niños temprano para que durmieran bien.”
2. “El sábado pasado tú acostaste a tu perro después de pasearlo.”
3. “Ellos acostaron a sus hijos después de leerles un cuento.”

Indicating Past Habits with Acostar: Imperfect Tense

The Imperfect tense of “acostar” is used to discuss actions that were habitual or customary in the past, without focusing on their beginning or end. For instance, “acostaba” translates to “I used to put to bed.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Imperfecto.”

Example Sentences:

1. Antes, cada noche, yo acostaba a mi hermana menor para que pudiera dormir.
2. Siempre, al terminar la cena, vosotros acostabais a los niños muy temprano.
3. Ellos acostaban al perro en su cama favorita cada noche antes de las nueve.

Using the Present Continuous for Acostar

The Present Continuous tense for the verb “acostar” is used in Spanish to indicate actions that are occurring right now or actions that are ongoing. For example, saying “estoy acostando” means “I am putting to bed” in English.

Here is how “acostar” is conjugated in the Present Continuous tense:

Examples in Spanish:

1. Yo: Estoy acostando al bebé porque es hora de dormir.
2. Él: Está acostando a los niños después de cenar.
3. Nosotros: Estamos acostando a nuestras mascotas en su cama.

Acostar in the Simple Future Tense

The Simple Future Tense of “acostar” is employed to describe an event that will take place at a later period from now, often in a more general or distant future. For instance, “voy a acostar” translates to “I am going to put to bed” in English, indicating a forthcoming action that is planned or expected.

In Spanish, the Simple Future Tense is frequently called “El Futuro Próximo,” emphasizing its imminence.

Example sentences

1. Mañana por la noche, voy a acostar a los niños temprano.
2. Tú vas a acostar a tu perro en su nueva cama después de cenar.
3. En un rato, ellos van a acostar porque tienen que madrugar.

Future Tense for “Acostar” in the Indicative Mood

In Spanish, the Future Tense for the verb “acostar” is applied when you want to refer to actions that will occur later on. For instance, when saying “acostaré,” you express “I will put to bed” in English. This tense in Spanish is often called “El Futuro Simple.”

Examples:

1. Mañana, yo acostaré a los niños temprano.
2. ¿Tú acostarás a tu hermanito esta noche?
3. Ellos acostarán al bebé después de cenar.

Using the Indicative Conditional with “Acostar”

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is often used to envision the potential future actions, discuss hypothetical situations, or address probabilities. When using the verb “acostar,” it refers to putting someone to bed under these conditions. For example, in “acostaría,” we express “I would put to bed.” This tense is known in Spanish as “El Condicional Simple.”

Examples of “Acostar” in the Indicative Conditional:

1. Yo acostaría a los niños temprano si tuvieran escuela mañana.
2. Tú acostarías al bebé después de cenar.
3. Si ellos llegaran tarde, ella les acostaría en el sofá.

Understanding Acostar in the Indicative Present Perfect

The use of the Indicative Present Perfect for the verb “acostar” is for actions initiated fairly recently and that may still be relevant at the moment or for actions completed recently. This is analogous to using the phrase “I have put to bed” in English.

This conjugation is called “El Pretérito Perfecto” in Spanish.

Examples:

1. He acostado a mi hijo a las ocho de la noche.
2. Ellas han acostado a los niños temprano.
3. ¿Has acostado al bebé ya?

Acostar in the Indicative Past Perfect

The Indicative Past Perfect is utilized to describe actions that occurred prior to another past event. It’s like saying “I had done something” before something else happened. For instance, “había acostado” means “I had put to bed.”

The Spanish term for the Indicative Past Perfect is “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto”.

Examples in Spanish:

1. Antes de que llegaran los invitados, yo ya había acostado a los niños.
2. Tú habías acostado al bebé antes de que empezara la película.
3. Cuando llegó la llamada, nosotros habíamos acostado a nuestros hijos.

Acostar in the Future Perfect Tense

The Future Perfect tense in the indicative mood for the verb “acostar” is utilized when discussing actions that will be completed in the future before another event takes place. This tense highlights that the action will be accomplished prior to a specified future time. For instance, “habré acostado” translates to “I will have put to bed.”

This tense in Spanish is referred to as “El Futuro Perfecto”.

Spanish Examples:

1. “Para cuando llegues, ya habré acostado a los niños.”
2. “Ellos habrán acostado al perro antes de la cena.”
3. “Habremos acostado al bebé cuando llames.”

Acostar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Indicative Conditional Perfect of “acostar” is used to express an action that would have occurred in the past if certain conditions had been met. This tense is useful when talking about hypothetical situations that didn’t take place. For instance, “habría acostado” translates to “I would have put to bed.”

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as “El Condicional Perfecto.”

Here are some illustrative examples:

1. Si hubiera tenido tiempo, habría acostado a los niños antes. (If I had had time, I would have put the kids to bed earlier.)
2. Habrías acostado a tu hermana si no hubieras estado tan cansado. (You would have put your sister to bed if you hadn’t been so tired.)
3. Los abuelos habrían acostado a su nieto si se hubieran sentido mejor. (The grandparents would have put their grandson to bed if they had felt better.)

Subjunctive Tenses of Acostar

Present Subjunctive of Acostar

The Present Subjunctive expresses desires, doubts, the unknown, the abstract, and emotions. This mood is used in situations that are not concrete or real, often following expressions that signal subjectivity or uncertainty. For example, “acueste”, which means “I put to bed”.

Examples:

1. Es importante que te acuestes temprano esta noche.
2. Espero que ellos se acuesten después de cenar.
3. Quiero que nos acostemos a la misma hora cada día.

Acostar Conjugation in the Subjunctive Imperfect

The Subjunctive Imperfect tense is used to narrate events that are unlikely, hypothetical, or imaginary in the past, or to reflect personal sentiments about events that occurred. For instance, the phrase “acostara” translates to “I put to bed” under emotional or conjectural contexts.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is termed “El Imperfecto Subjuntivo”.

Examples:

1. Si ella me lo pidiera, me acostara temprano.
2. Dudaba que nosotros acostáramos a los niños a tiempo.
3. No creíamos que vosotros os acostarais antes de medianoche.

Acostar in the Future Subjunctive

The Future Subjunctive is seldom used in modern Spanish, and is generally found in formal or literary contexts. It denotes hypothetical future events or actions that are conditional on other occurrences. For example, “acostare” means “I will put to bed.”

In Spanish, the Future Subjunctive is called “El Futuro del Subjuntivo.”

Example Sentences in Spanish:

1. Si yo acostare a los niños temprano, entonces podremos ver la película.
2. Si tú acostares a tu hermano, yo prepararé la cena.
3. Si ellas acostaren a los bebés, tendremos tiempo para charlar.

Acostar in the Present Perfect Subjunctive

The Present Perfect Subjunctive is utilized in Spanish to describe past actions or events linked to the present, and to discuss actions that will have occurred by a specific point in time in the future. For instance, “haya acostado” translates to “I have put to bed.”

In Spanish, the Present Perfect Subjunctive is referred to as “El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo.”

Examples:

1. Espero que mi madre haya acostado a mi hermana antes de salir.
2. Es posible que ellos hayan acostado a sus hijos temprano.
3. Dudo que el perro ya se haya acostado.

Subjunctive Past Perfect for “Acostar”

The Subjunctive Past Perfect tense is used in Spanish to discuss scenarios that are conditional or hypothetical, often referring to actions that took place before another action in the past. For instance, “hubiera acostado” can be translated as “I had put to bed.” This tense is equivalent to “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo” in Spanish.

Examples

1. Si hubiera acostado a los niños más temprano, habría tenido tiempo para leer.
2. Dudo que hubieras acostado al perro antes de salir.
3. No creía que hubiéramos acostado a nuestra hija tan tarde.

Introduce the Future Perfect Subjunctive for “Acostar”

The Future Perfect Subjunctive in Spanish is utilized to describe actions that will have been completed at some point in the future from a hypothetical or uncertain perspective. This tense is rare in modern Spanish but can be found in literature and formal writing.

Examples

1. “Cuando llegue la medianoche, dudo que ya hubiere acostado a los niños.”
2. “Es probable que, para entonces, tú ya hubieres acostado a tu hermano menor.”
3. “Si todo sale bien, nosotros ya hubiéremos acostado al niño antes de que comiencen los fuegos artificiales.”

Introduction to the Affirmative Imperative with ‘Acostar’

The Affirmative Imperative in Spanish is a conjugation used to give direct commands or requests. It is about telling someone to take action. Let’s explore how the verb “acostar” (which means “to put to bed”) is used in this context.

Examples of Affirmative Imperative with ‘Acostar’:

1. Tú: ¡Acuesta al bebé antes de que se despierte!

2. Nosotros: ¡Acostemos a los niños, ya es tarde!

3. Ustedes: ¡Acuesten a los pacientes después de la comida!

Understanding Acostar in the Negative Imperative Form

The Negative Imperative in Spanish serves as a way to provide instructions or commands not to perform certain actions. For instance, “no acuestes” translates to “don’t put to bed” in English, used in an informal context.

Examples in Spanish:

1. No acuestes al bebé tan temprano.
2. María, no acostéis a los niños antes de cenar.
3. Señores, no acuesten las herramientas en el jardín.