Is there a verb for "to nap"?

Question

I have looked all over the internet and dictionaries but I have not found a particular verb for "to nap" just the noun "siesta". Is there a verb?

Welcome to the forum - Mardle, Aug 9, 2017

By the way here is an article which includes origin of the word siesta. https://www.aprendeinglessila.com/2013/02/siesta-nap-kip-alligator/ - Mardle, Aug 9, 2017

.Welcome to SpanishDict, Billy. - rac1, Aug 10, 2017

Thank you that article was very helpful! - Billy9538, Aug 11, 2017

Answer 1

Sestear appears in the RAE dictionary with the following definition:
Pasar la siesta durmiendo o descansando.

I found no almost no evidence of the use of the verb sestear in the hundreds of thousands of sentences in the databank at context.reverso.net. Two hits with sestear (infinitive), none with sesteo (first person) or sestea (3nd person) I didn't bother looking up past tenses, but the above evidence suggests to me that usage of the verb is quite rare.

Usage of an ordinary verb with the noun siesta seems much more common:

a. tomar una siesta
I nap every day at three o'clock. Tomo una siesta todos los días a las tres.
b. dormir una siesta
Be quiet! The baby is napping.¡Cállense! El bebé está durmiendo una siesta.
c. echarse una siesta
We close the store in the afternoon so everyone can nap and eat lunch. Cerramos la tienda en la tarde para que todos puedan echarse una siesta y almorzar.

Also, I don't think there would be anything wrong with saying:

Voy a dormir un ratito.

But using the noun siesta is much more common.

sestear discussion on wordreference

One person from Madrid said he never used it in 46 years and it is rarely if ever used.

¡Basta! ¡Ahora voy a sestear!

You finished your post before I finished mine. - Daniela2041, Aug 9, 2017

Dani: we must have the same hymnbook. :) - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

I am an activist when it comes to this verb "siestar" (which I use frequently). RAE hasn't consider it yet but wikipedia is always one step forward: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/siestar. Je. Seriously, you may hear it in informal talk at least here. - Shamelesspanish, Aug 9, 2017

Shameless: thanks for the info. I sort of guessed siestar might be used but I knew it wasn't official. :) - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

Argentina is always a little ways ahead in coming up with new and inventive verb forms. I haven't heard it as yet among my Mexican colleagues. Maybe Heidita will give her input. - Daniela2041, Aug 9, 2017

Shameless: were you aware of the verb sestear? Are you still an activist for siestar or doe's sestear satisfy you? :) - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

Mmmm I think I'll stick with siestar! :) - Shamelesspanish, Aug 9, 2017

I am in training. - DonBigoteDeLaLancha, Aug 10, 2017

Answer 2

Sestear

Juan sestea después de almorzar.

Sí, pero suena como que horrible, ¿no? - Gekkosan, Aug 9, 2017

Acá a veces se usa. - polenta1, Aug 9, 2017

Answer 3

There is no verb "to nap." Many times you have to look for alternative ways to say things.

Right in our SD translator I entered "to take a nap." and vollà."

a. dormir una siesta

Do we have time to take a nap?¿Tenemos suficiente tiempo para dormir una siesta?

b. echar una siesta

I can't take a nap; I might not wake up.No puedo echar una siesta; puede que no me despierte.

c. hacer una siesta I like to take a nap after I work all day.Me gusta hacer una siesta después de trabajar todo el día.

d. tomar una siesta

If you feel cranky, you should take a nap.Si te sientes malhumorado, deberías tomar una siesta.

Thank you - Billy9538, Aug 9, 2017

Uhm. My dictionaries seem to think that yes indeed, there's a verb "to nap": nap 1 |nap| verb (naps, napping, napped) [no object] sleep lightly or briefly, especially during the day. - Gekkosan, Aug 9, 2017

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nap - Gekkosan, Aug 9, 2017

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nap - Gekkosan, Aug 9, 2017

But what do I know, I don't write those things. - Gekkosan, Aug 9, 2017

Gekko: I don't think anyone is questioning whether there is an English verb "to nap" The OP was asking if there was a Spanish verb, and we have found one...sestear, but it appears to be little used. - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

Gekko: I can see how you misunderstood Dani's opening line. I think what she meant is that there is no Spanish verb equivalent to the English "to nap" - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

Pardon my confusion, but I am still reading "There is no verb "to nap." in Daniela's post, and her examples appear to support that belief. So the verb does exist in English. "Sestear" has already been discussed, and I agree it's rarely used. - Gekkosan, Aug 9, 2017

I know there is a verb to nap but question was whether Spanish speakers used a similar verb - Mardle, Aug 9, 2017

Gekko: You may be right. Even though she's been here for a long time we do tend to use "take a nap" more often. A sentence like: I nap everyday after lunch is not uncommon, however. Or I like to nap after a big meal. - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

Being here a long time has nothing to do with how well someone knows Spanish grammar. - rac1, Aug 10, 2017

Amber: I said I thought Danni knew about the verb to nap, Gekko read her entry as if she didn't. In the final comment I was conceding to Gekko that maybe he was right, maybe she didn't know about the verb "to nap" even though she has been in the U.S. a - DilKen, Aug 11, 2017

long time because we use "take a nap" more often than "to nap"...nothing to do with Spanish or Spanish grammar.. As it turns out Dani did know about the English verb "to nap" as she told us in her other answer. :) - DilKen, Aug 11, 2017

I was referring to your sentence above, Ken. No need for the explanation. I understand what is being said. - rac1, Aug 11, 2017

Answer 4

http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/sestear

Super sleuth - Mardle, Aug 9, 2017

Interesting to note that it is predominantly used in the U.S. and the U.K. - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

No sleuthing required, Mardle. I learned this like I've learned hundreds of other ordinary verbs. - jtaniel, Aug 9, 2017

Ken, I didn't read the entry the way you did. To me it just says that in the US we say "take a nap" and in the UK "have a nap." - jtaniel, Aug 9, 2017

Jtaniel, having seen how the SD dictionary treats regional usage of Spanish words from many other entries, I think my interpretation is correct, but I'm not sure :) - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

I looked in the RAE dictionary and sestear does appear without any mention of region of use, so you could be right. :) - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

Ken, I was thinking along these lines: http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/tirantes - jtaniel, Aug 9, 2017

Jtaniel: You've convinced me.:) I'll have to be more careful in the future when I see regions in green type. I may have misinterpreted these before. :( - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

@DilKen, since you're from the States you are familiar with American vernaculars than British colloquialisms. - NKM1974, Aug 9, 2017

True, but this has nothing to do with the different interpretations we had about the SD dictionary entry. I thought it meant that sastear was only used in U.S. and U.K. Spanish. He thought it just meant we had different ways of saying take a nap in Eng. - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

And now I agree with him as I've mentioned in other comments :) - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

Answer 5

Here is a list I have done previously ( we had a lesson on sleep idioms)

SLEEP/SUEÑO

Aquí hay algunos modismos Here are some idiomatic phrases

Not able to sleep: No dormir nada

Did not get a wink of sleep No pegué ojo en toda la noche To spend all night awake Pasar la noche en vigilia/vela To keep awake Quitarse el sueño/permanecer despierto

To be tired Estar cansado

I’m very tired tengo un sueno que no veo/ Estoy muy cansado

I cannot keep my eyes open Estoy que se me caen las pestañas

I'm falling asleep/dead on my feet Estoy que me caigo de sueño /no me tengo de pie

Oversleep/overslept Se le pegan las sábanas

To sleep soundly dormir profundamente

To sleep the sleep of the just Dormir a pierna suelta

To sleep - - hours straight/ uninterrupted Dormir - - horas de un tirón

To fall asleep/get to sleep Conciliar el sueño

To sleep like;- Dormir como:- A baby, log or top Un bendito,tronco o lirón/un bebé

Brief sleep [usually during the day] siesta

Kip, 40 winks, nap/catnap, doze Echarse un sueno o un sueñecito o cabezada

As for your question I have also seen dormir la siesta o tomar una siesta.

I am not a native they may know a verb meaning to kip/ nap

Answer 6

In order to answer some of the questions that came up due to my rather inept answer, I have to add this answer."I DID mean to say that there was no Spanish equivalent to the English word "to nap."

Of course I was shown to be wrong there, as I have never heard of it, nor does it appear in my Spanish/English dictionaries.

Now the group has come up with "sestear" and "siestar." These are both new to me. Now I ask the question, "Which one is correct?" (Not that I'll ever use it )

Dani: sastear is in the SD and RAE dictionaries - DilKen, Aug 9, 2017

"sestear". La versión actualizada del Diccionario de la RAE se pueden consultar en línea en dle.rae.es Que conste que yo tampoco había escuchado jamás la palabra, y no sabía que existía. - Gekkosan, Aug 10, 2017

You might want to up-date your dictionary, Dani. - rac1, Aug 10, 2017

Answer 7

A ver si en la próxima Olimpiada no hay evento de sestear. ¿Quién sacará el oro?

Answer 8

Echar una siesta es algo voluntario.

Quedarse traspuesto es quedarse adormilado o medio dormido involuntariamente por aburrimiento, cansancio o una copiosa comida.

Answer 9

There's a Mexican phrase that I like a lot, Voy a echarme un coyotito

And this blog post is about three ways to say you're taking a nap.

I have heard that. It's cute. - Daniela2041, Aug 10, 2017

Answer 10

to have/take a nap / echarse una siestecita

or

sestear verbo intransitive / to take a nap

...or, "sestear / to nap" - Gekkosan, Aug 9, 2017

My Oxford dictionary gives the above exactly as shown above. They could be wrong of course. :) - ian-hill, Aug 10, 2017

I think they are both right. to nap = to take a nap (U.S.) = to have a nap (U.K) = sastear = tomar una siesta, and several others in Spanish - DilKen, Aug 10, 2017

Answer 11

Sin duda, "sestear". Generalmente durante las horas más abrasadoras (13:00-15:00), dependiente de la latitud y la temporada. ¡Señores, a las hamacas!

Answer 12

Hay un discurso largo y aburrido, y la mitad o más de los oyentes se duermen. Ellos "nod off", muertos aunque sigue latiendo el corazón. No se despiertan hasta que se paren las palabras. El silencio es nítido. ¿Cómo se llama esa siesta?

Se han quedado "traspuestos" - 000a35ff, Aug 10, 2017

Answer 13

Sestear o sestar...pero ¡qué horror!

No hagáis ni caso: hay que dormir la siesta o echarse la siesta.

tengo un amigo que siempre dice: una buena siesta es con pijama y orinal.

I bet billy would agree with him

copied from Camilo Jose Cela: El novelista decía de la siesta que había que hacerla "con pijama, Padrenuestro y orinal". - 006595c6, Aug 10, 2017

Lo de orinal está bueno!! - polenta1, Aug 10, 2017