Traveling can be an exhausting experience, even if we don’t readily admit it. When exploring the fascinating destinations of South America, fatigue is bound to catch up with us at some point. That’s why it’s immensely helpful to know how to convey the feeling of tiredness in Spanish!
Table of Contents
Quick Guide to Saying “Tired” in Spanish
Various Ways to Convey Tiredness in Spanish
Learning how to express fatigue in Spanish is relatively straightforward. The formula is quite similar to its English counterpart. However, there are a few subtleties worth keeping in mind.
Cansado(a) – Tired
Cansado is the direct translation of ‘tired.’ Note that it is an adjective used to describe people, which means it has masculine and feminine forms. The masculine form, cansado, is employed when referring to a male subject, while the feminine form, cansada, is used for a female subject. If the subject is plural, add an ‘s’ to form the plural forms: cansados or cansadas. Let’s look at a couple of examples:
Example:
- Estoy cansado. (I am tired) – Masculine
- Estoy cansada. (I am tired) – Feminine
Estar cansado(a) – To be tired
As demonstrated in the previous examples, to say “I’m tired” in Spanish, you would use the phrase estar cansado(a). Notice that in this case, the appropriate verb for “to be” is estar, not ser. This is because tiredness is a temporary condition.
Example:
- Estoy cansado(a). (I am tired)
Verse cansado(a) – To look tired
Occasionally, you may encounter a friend who genuinely appears exhausted. In such instances, you would use the structure verse cansado(a). To tell your friend “you look tired,” you would say te ves cansado(a). The tricky part here is the reflexive verb verse, which necessitates adapting the pronoun to match the person being referred to. When conjugating the verb in the third person, for instance, you should employ a third-person pronoun.
Example:
- Me veo cansado(a). (I look tired)
- Te ves cansado(a). (You look tired)
- Se ve cansado(a). (He/She looks tired)
- Nos vemos cansados(as). (We look tired)
- Os veis cansados(as). (You all look tired)
- Se ven cansados(as). (They look tired)
Estar cansado(a) de alguien/algo – To be tired of someone/something
Sometimes, it’s not just general tiredness; you may specifically be tired of someone or something. In Spanish, you can express that by using the phrase estar cansado(a) de alguien/algo. Let’s see it in action:
Example:
- Estoy cansado(a) de esta situación. (I am tired of this situation)
Estar harto(a) de alguien/algo – To be sick of someone/something
In English, we often use the expression “to be sick of someone/something” to convey extreme tiredness. In Spanish, you can translate that as estar harto(a) de alguien/algo. As you can see, in this case, we employ another adjective, harto(a).
Example:
- Estoy harto(a) de estas interrupciones. (I am sick of these interruptions)
Expressing Tiring Situations in Spanish
Certain activities or circumstances can induce fatigue, leading us to describe them as tiring or exhausting. In Spanish, there are several ways to convey this, but the two primary options include cansador and its close synonym, agotador. These two terms can be used interchangeably.
Example:
- El viaje fue cansador. (The trip was tiring)
- La experiencia resultó agotadora. (The experience proved exhausting)
Alternative Phrases to Convey Tiredness in Spanish
Spanish is a remarkably diverse language, allowing us to tap into its richness. We’ve compiled a list of synonyms and related words for ‘tired.’ Although not exhaustive, it provides you with a few alternatives should you wish to add some flair to your Spanish.
- Agotado(a): exhausted
- Fatigado(a): fatigued
- Extenuado(a): worn out
- Destruido(a): drained
- Demolido(a): demolished
- Deshecho(a): worn down
- Aburrido(a): bored
- Reventado(a): shattered
- Rendido(a): beat
- Muerto(a): dead tired
- Agobiado(a): overwhelmed
- Estoy hecho(a) papilla: I’m done for
- Estoy hecho(a) polvo: I’m knackered
- Estoy hecho(a) trizas: I’m shattered
Hopefully, these various expressions will enable you to effectively communicate your exhaustion in Spanish! Remember, if you’re seeking further language-related guidance, visit 5 WS for comprehensive information.
