acostarse

Acostarse is a Spanish reflexive verb meaning to lie down or to go to bed. It describes the action that the subject performs on himself or herself, typically to sleep or rest. The nonreflexive counterpart, acostar, means to lay someone or something down.

Grammar: Acostarse is used with reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se. In the present tense it shows a stem change (o to ue) in most forms: me acuesto, te acuestas, se acuesta, nos acostamos, os acostáis, se acuestan. In most other tenses the stem does not change (preterite: me acosté, te acostaste, se acostó, nos acostamos, os acostasteis, se acostaron). The gerund is acostándose and the past participle is acostado. The verb is often used with a time expression: “Me acosté a las diez.”

Usage: Acostarse describes going to bed or lying down, not necessarily sleeping. It can indicate routine or intention: “Me voy a acostar temprano” (I am going to go to bed early) or “Me acosté a las diez.” When referring to causing someone else to lie down, the non-reflexive form acostar is used, as in “acostar al niño.”

Related terms and notes: Acostarse is a pronominal verb, and its meaning differs from dormirse, which specifically emphasizes falling asleep. The verb is common in everyday speech and appears in many time-telling and daily routine contexts.