Question 1

Is ve from the verb ver (to see) or ir (to go)?

Accepted Answer

Here, it is the informal command for ir (to go). It tells someone to "Go!". While ve can also mean "he/she sees" from ver, the context of telling someone to do an action lets us know it's a command.

Question 2

Why is there an a between ve and dormir?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, verbs of motion like ir (to go) require the preposition a when they are followed by another verb. It connects the movement to the action, so "go to sleep" becomes ve a dormir.

Question 3

Why does the second half of the sentence start with just que?

Accepted Answer

Starting a sentence with que followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood is a common way to express a direct wish or greeting. It is a shortened way of saying "I hope that..." (espero que...). Here, ¡que sueñes...! means "May you dream...".

Question 4

Why is it sueñes instead of sueñas?

Accepted Answer

Since we are expressing a wish using que, we need the present subjunctive form of the verb soñar (to dream). In the subjunctive, -ar verbs take -er/-ir endings. That's why the informal "you" form gets an -es ending instead of -as. Notice it also keeps its normal stem change where the o changes to ue!

Question 5

Literally, doesn't cosas bonitas mean "beautiful things"?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The literal translation is "May you dream beautiful things." While you can literally say dulces sueños for "sweet dreams" in Spanish, phrases like que sueñes cosas bonitas or que sueñes con los angelitos (may you dream with the little angels) are very natural, common ways to say goodnight.

Ve a dormir, ¡que sueñes cosas bonitas!

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