Spanish Conversation · Level 45
75 words
Spanish word
siesta
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈsjesta/
Meaning
- feminine nounnap
Example
Después de comer, duermo la siesta.
I take a nap after eating.
More examples
Después del trabajo, me gusta tomar una siesta corta.
After work, I like to take a short nap.
Core concept
Brief rest after the midday meal.
Common phrases
una siesta corta
a short nap
la siesta de la tarde
the afternoon nap
tomarse una siesta
take a nap
Similar words
cabezada: Very brief doze, often while seated or nodding off.
descanso: Brief rest break to ease physical or mental fatigue.
sesteo: Act of taking a short nap around midday.
Definition in Spanish
Breve descanso o sueño tomado después de la comida, especialmente al mediodía.
Word origin
The word traces to Latin sexta 'sixth' referring to the sixth hour (hora sexta) and then developed in Spanish to mean the noontime rest.
Usage tips
- In everyday speech siesta commonly appears with the article as la siesta and with verbs like hacer or echarse, producing natural phrases such as hacer la siesta or echarse una siesta.
Other meanings
- catnapnoun
- afternoon napnoun
Opposites
- vigiliawakefulnessnoun
Related words
- siestitalittle napnoun