pernoctar

Pernoctar is a Spanish verb meaning to spend the night somewhere, typically for a single night, rather than returning to one’s home. It is used in lodging, travel, and scheduling contexts and can imply staying overnight in a hotel, hostel, train station, or other temporary accommodation.

Etymology and related terms: The verb derives from Latin per noctem, meaning “through the night.” The related noun pernoctación denotes the act of staying overnight; in travel or logistics contexts it can refer to an overnight stop in an itinerary.

Usage: Pernoctar is usually intransitive and used with en to indicate where the stay occurs (pernoctar en un hotel, en un hostal). It can be employed in formal or semi-formal writing as well as everyday speech. It is more formal than the everyday phrase quédarse a dormir, though the two are often interchangeable in meaning.

Conjugation: Like other -ar verbs, its forms follow regular patterns. Present: yo pernocto, tú pernoctas, él pernocta, nosotros pernoctamos, vosotros pernoctáis, ellos pernoctan. Preterite: yo pernocté, tú pernoctaste, él pernoctó, nosotros pernoctamos, vosotros pernoctasteis, ellos pernoctaron. Gerund: pernoctando. Past participle: pernoctado.

Examples: “La tripulación decidió pernoctar en Valencia durante la escala.” “Durante el viaje, el grupo pernoctó en un hotel cercano.” “La pernoctación en la ciudad quedó registrada en la reserva.”