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"Despierto" is a form of "despertar", a transitive verb which is often translated as "to wake up". "Primero" is an adjective which is often translated as "first". Learn more about the difference between "despierto" and "primero" below.
despertar, el despertar(
dehs
-
pehr
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tahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to wake up
La policía vino y despertó a todo el edificio.The police came and woke up the whole building.
3. (to conjure)
a. to awaken
Los olores despertaron viejos recuerdos de la infancia.The smells awakened old childhood memories.
A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
despertarse
A reflexive verb is a verb that indicates that the subject performs an action on itself (e.g., Miguel se lava.).
primero(
pree
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meh
-
roh
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (position)
a. first
Los países se enumeran en la primera fila de la tabla.The countries are listed in the first row of the table.
2. (in time)
3. (principal)
An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or other adverbs (e.g., to run quickly, very tired).
This means that the noun can be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to (e.g., el doctor, la doctora).
a. the best
Era el primero en matemáticas en séptimo grado.I was the best in mathematics in seventh grade.