Estoy despierto en la noche.

I am awake at night.

Breakdown of Estoy despierto en la noche.

• yo: I
• estar: to be
• la noche: the night
• en: at
• despierto: awake

Questions & Answers about Estoy despierto en la noche.

Why is estoy used here instead of soy?

Spanish uses estar for temporary states or conditions and ser for inherent or permanent characteristics.

• Estoy despierto = I am awake (right now / at this time) → temporary state.
• Soy despierto can exist, but it means I am sharp / quick‑witted / mentally alert (as a personality trait), not physically awake.

So in the sense of being awake vs sleeping, you almost always use estar: estar despierto.

Why does despierto end in -o? What if the speaker is a woman?

Despierto is an adjective and must agree in gender (and number) with the subject:

• Man speaking: Estoy despierto.
• Woman speaking: Estoy despierta.
• More than one man / mixed group: Estamos despiertos.
• Group of only women: Estamos despiertas.

So if you (a woman) are saying the sentence, it should be Estoy despierta en la noche.

Is despierto a verb here, like English “I’m waking up”?

No. In this sentence, despierto is an adjective meaning awake, not a verb.

• Verb: despertar / despertarse = to wake (someone) / to wake up.
  
  • Me despierto a las 7. = I wake up at 7.
• Adjective: despierto / despierta = awake.

So Estoy despierto literally means I am awake, not I am waking up.

What’s the difference between despierto and despertado?

Both relate to despertar, but they are used differently:

• Despierto is the normal adjective for awake.

  • Estoy despierto. = I’m awake.

• Despertado is the past participle of the verb despertar. It’s used:

  • In compound tenses: He despertado tarde. = I’ve woken up late.
  • Occasionally as an adjective with a more formal or passive nuance:
    Fui despertado por el ruido. = I was woken (up) by the noise.

In everyday speech to say “I’m awake”, you use estoy despierto, not estoy despertado.

Why is it en la noche and not just noche, like English “at night”?

In Spanish, time expressions often take an article:

• en la noche
• por la noche
• por la mañana
• en la tarde (common in Latin America)

You can’t usually drop the article here. En noche or por noche sound wrong in this sense.

There is one pattern without an article: de noche (at night / when it’s night), but that uses a different preposition and has a slightly different feel.

What’s the difference between en la noche, por la noche, and de noche?

All can be translated as “at night”, but there are nuances and regional preferences.

• Por la noche – very common and neutral; often used for habitual or general actions.

  • Trabajo por la noche. = I work at night / nights.

• En la noche – very common in many parts of Latin America; can mean during a particular night or simply “in/at night.”

  • Estoy despierto en la noche. = I’m awake at night.
    In many Latin American varieties it sounds perfectly natural and close to por la noche.

• De noche – more general, like “at night (as opposed to daytime)” or “when it’s dark.”

  • Me gusta manejar de noche. = I like driving at night.

In a lot of contexts, por la noche and en la noche are interchangeable in Latin America, with small regional style differences.

Could I say Estoy despierto por la noche instead? Is it more natural?

Yes, Estoy despierto por la noche is completely correct and very natural.

In many regions (including much of Latin America), both:

• Estoy despierto en la noche.
• Estoy despierto por la noche.

would be understood as I’m awake at night. Depending on the country, one may sound a bit more common than the other, but both are fine.

Why is it la noche and not el noche?

Because noche is a feminine noun in Spanish.

• la noche = the night
• una noche = a night
• esta noche = tonight (literally “this night”)

So you always use feminine articles and adjectives with noche:
la larga noche, la noche oscura, etc.

Can I say las noches instead of la noche?

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly.

• por la noche / en la noche = at night (generally or on a given night)
• por las noches = at nights / at night in general, stressing repetition or a routine

Examples:

• Estoy despierto por la noche. = I’m awake at night.
• Estoy despierto por las noches. = I’m (usually / often) awake at night(s) – sounds more like a recurring pattern or habit.

Can I drop yo and just say Estoy despierto en la noche?

Yes, and that’s actually the most natural way to say it.

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) are usually omitted unless you need emphasis or contrast:

• Estoy despierto en la noche. = normal, natural
• Yo estoy despierto en la noche. = I am awake at night (implying contrast, like “…but he isn’t”)

Is Estoy despierto en la noche the only possible word order? What about En la noche estoy despierto?

You can change the word order a bit:

• Estoy despierto en la noche. – neutral.
• En la noche estoy despierto. – also correct; puts a bit more emphasis on en la noche (“At night, I’m awake”).

What you usually don’t say is something like Estoy en la noche despierto; it sounds unnatural in this context.

Does noche here mean “night” in general or tonight specifically?

By itself, en la noche / por la noche usually means at night (in general / as a time of day), not necessarily tonight.

If you want to clearly say tonight, you would typically use:

• esta noche = tonight
  
  • Estoy despierto esta noche. = I’m awake tonight.

So:

• Estoy despierto en la noche. – I’m awake at night (generally).
• Estoy despierto esta noche. – I’m awake tonight (this specific night).