Cuando suena el despertador, me despierto enseguida.

When the alarm clock rings, I wake up right away.

Breakdown of Cuando suena el despertador, me despierto enseguida.

• yo: I
• me: me
• cuando: when
• enseguida: right away

Questions & Answers about Cuando suena el despertador, me despierto enseguida.

Why is it cuando and not cuándo?

Because cuando without an accent is used as a connector meaning when in a sentence like this:

• Cuando suena el despertador, me despierto enseguida.

Cuándo with an accent is used in questions or indirect questions:

• ¿Cuándo suena el despertador? = When does the alarm clock ring?
• No sé cuándo suena. = I don’t know when it rings.

So here, it is not asking when; it is linking two actions, so cuando is correct.

Why are suena and me despierto in the present tense?

Spanish often uses the present tense to talk about habits, routines, and things that generally happen.

So:

• Cuando suena el despertador, me despierto enseguida.

means something like:

• When the alarm goes off, I wake up straight away.
• or Whenever the alarm goes off, I wake up right away.

It is not necessarily describing one single event happening right now. It can describe a repeated pattern.

This is very natural in both Spanish and English for routines.

Why is it suena and not something like ?