Despertar verb conjugation

Question

Hi all, I promise I’m not asking you to do my homework, haha! I am genuinely confused, and need help! Como se dice “coffee makes me wake up?”

So I first assume that I am going to use the verb despertar, and not despertarse, since it is the coffee that is awakening me. Am I incorrect? Should it actually be despertarse?

And on that note - Café me hace despertar o Café me hace despierto?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I guess I'd say, "El café me despierta." I'm not sure if I need the "el" before the word "café." Anyone?

Your sentence is perfect and you do need the article. The reason is that "café" is not a proper noun, but a concept, and Spanish requires specific items or people as subjects. "Café me despierta" would mean that Mr. Café didn't want you to sleep, so he woke you up. Here, Café is a specific person with a proper noun. People can wake you up and specific amounts of coffee can wake you up, but the concept of coffee can't. I know English is different in this, but that's how Spanish works.

So can I say "el café me hace me despierta?" Or is it better to say "el café me hace alerta?" - izzydia, Dec 8, 2010

"Hace me despierta" makes no sense (it makes it awakes me???). "Hacer alerta" is not a Spanish collocation; we say "Me pone alerta", but in these cases we simply say "Me despierta". - lazarus1907, Dec 8, 2010

Thank you for the explanation....it helps. - --Mariana--, Dec 8, 2010

"Me pone alerta" is "it makes me alert." But I'm referring specifically to coffee. So, could one say, "el cafe me pone alerta? - izzydia, Dec 8, 2010

Answer 2

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I guess I'd say, "El café me despierta."

Let's wait and see what others have to say.

I'm not sure if I need the "el" before the word "café." Anyone? - --Mariana--, Dec 8, 2010

Well, what I'm trying to say it "coffee makes me wake up." If I am correct, your sentence says "coffee wakes me up." - izzydia, Dec 8, 2010

Coffee makes you wake up because coffee is a drink that wakes you up. Marianne sentence is the one we'd use. - lazarus1907, Dec 8, 2010

Answer 3

The sentence "coffee wakes me up" in spanish wouldn't make sense because coffee does not literally wake you up. I would say "Cuando me despierto, tomo el café".

That's why I phrased it as "coffee makes me wake up." Is that not acceptable either? It was Marianne who phrased it as "coffee wakes me up." - izzydia, Dec 8, 2010

"Tomo café" in any case. - lazarus1907, Dec 8, 2010