It Past Your Bedtime in Spanish | Say It Naturally At Night

The go-to line is “Ya es hora de dormir,” and you can soften it with “ya” or point it at someone with “para ti.”

You know the moment: someone’s yawning, still scrolling, and you want to nudge them toward bed without sounding harsh. In English you might say, “It’s past your bedtime.” In Spanish, you’ve got a few clean options, and the best one depends on who you’re talking to and what vibe you want.

Below you’ll get natural phrases, the grammar that keeps them sounding native, and ready-to-use lines for texts and real-life talk.

It Past Your Bedtime in Spanish With The Right Tone

Spanish usually frames this idea as “it’s time to sleep” or “it’s time to go to bed,” then adds a hint that the time has already passed.

Start with these three core builds:

• Ya es hora de dormir. = It’s time to sleep. (“Ya” adds “by now / already.”)
• Ya es hora de ir a la cama. = It’s time to go to bed.
• Se te pasó la hora de dormir. = Your bedtime has passed. (Often teasing.)

If you’re talking to one person, you can aim the sentence at them with para ti (“for you”) or with an indirect object pronoun (se te pasó). For a group, swap in para ustedes or se les pasó.

Pick The Right “You” First

Spanish has more than one “you,” so choose the one that matches your relationship:

• tú for friends, kids, close family
• usted for formality or polite distance
• ustedes for “you all” in most countries
• vosotros for “you all” in Spain (casual)

Why “Ya” Does A Lot Of Work

That tiny word ya can mean “already,” “by now,” or “come on, it’s time.” It’s why “Ya es hora de dormir” lands so naturally. If you want a dictionary-backed sense of ya, the Real Academia Española covers the range in its entry for ya.

Natural Translations Spanish Speakers Actually Use

English “bedtime” can be a rule, a routine, or a joke. Use the phrase that matches your intent.

Friendly Nudge For Kids Or Family

• Ya es hora de dormir.
• Ya es hora de ir a la cama.
• Vamos a la cama. (“Let’s go to bed.”)

To make it more “you-focused,” add the person: Ya es hora de dormir, Mateo.

Playful Tease With Friends

• Se te pasó la hora de dormir.
• Ya deberías estar en la cama. (“You should be in bed by now.”)
• ¿No era tu hora de dormir? (“Wasn’t it your bedtime?”)

More Firm Without Sounding Mean

• Es hora de dormir ya. (Sharper because ya is at the end.)
• A la cama, ya. (Short. Clear. Used a lot with children.)
• Se acabó. (“That’s it.” A stopper line.)

If you want a quick reason, keep it short: Mañana hay colegio. or Mañana hay trabajo.

Phrase-By-Phrase Cheatsheet

Spanish verbs matter here. “To sleep” is dormir, and “to go to bed” often uses acostarse or the phrase ir a la cama. For a formal reference on dormir, the RAE’s dictionary entry for dormir is useful.

English Intent	Spanish Line	When It Fits
It’s time for bed.	Ya es hora de ir a la cama.	Family talk, gentle reminder.
It’s time to sleep.	Ya es hora de dormir.	Universal; sounds natural almost everywhere.
Your bedtime has passed.	Se te pasó la hora de dormir.	Teasing, light scolding.
You should be in bed by now.	Ya deberías estar en la cama.	Friends, older kids.
Go to bed.	A la cama.	Direct instruction, often for children.
Go to sleep.	A dormir.	Short command; parent-to-child talk.
Time to lie down.	Ya es hora de acostarte.	Personal; points at “you” directly.
Bed. Now.	A la cama, ya.	Firm boundary with kids.
Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?	¿No deberías estar dormido/dormida?	Teasing when someone is still awake.

Small Grammar Moves That Make You Sound Natural

Most bedtime lines in Spanish lean on two ideas: time (hora) and the action (sleeping or going to bed). Get those right and the rest is style.

Use “Hora De” For “Bedtime”

Spanish often says la hora de dormir (“the time to sleep”) or la hora de ir a la cama. If you write clock times, Spanish follows clear conventions; the RAE notes common usage in its entry on hora.

To make it feel personal, add a possessive:

• tu hora de dormir (your bedtime)
• su hora de dormir (your bedtime, formal; also “his/her/their”)

Then you can say: Ya pasó tu hora de dormir. That’s a clean “It’s past your bedtime.”

Know When To Use “Acostarse”

Acostarse is reflexive, so it needs a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. When you want to aim the message directly at someone, it’s handy:

• Ya es hora de acostarte. (tú)
• Ya es hora de acostarse. (usted, as a polite suggestion)
• Ya es hora de acostarnos. (we)

The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas explains usage in its entry on acostar, acostarse.

Match Gender When You Use “Dormido”

When you say “you should be asleep,” match the person:

• ¿No deberías estar dormido? (talking to a man or boy)
• ¿No deberías estar dormida? (talking to a woman or girl)

Tone Tweaks That Make It Sound Like You

Two people can say the same words and land on totally different meanings. In Spanish, a few tiny choices control the heat level.

Choose A Softer Start

If you want a gentle nudge, start with a little cushion, then deliver the line:

• Oye, ya es hora de dormir.
• Bueno, ya es hora de ir a la cama.
• Creo que se te pasó la hora de dormir.

If you want it firmer, drop the cushion and lead with the action: A la cama. The shorter it gets, the more it feels like a rule.

Pick The Verb That Matches The Scene

Use dormir when you’re talking about sleep itself. Use ir a la cama when you’re talking about the move from couch to bed. Use acostarse when the person is actually lying down or you’re calling that moment out.

That’s why these two can feel different even though both point toward bedtime:

• Ya es hora de ir a la cama. (Get moving.)
• Ya es hora de acostarte. (Get into bed.)

Regional Notes For Spain And Latin America

You’ll hear the same core phrases across the Spanish-speaking world, with small preference shifts:

• A dormir and a la cama are widely used with kids.
• In Spain, Venga, a dormir is common as a friendly push.
• In many parts of Latin America, Ya vete a dormir or Ya acuéstate can show up in family talk. They’re normal in context, but they can sound sharp if your tone is flat.

If you’re learning for travel, stick with Ya es hora de dormir and Ya es hora de ir a la cama. They travel well.

Ready-To-Use Lines For Common Situations

These cover the usual moments. Swap names, keep the rhythm, and you’re set.

Texting A Friend Who’s Still Awake

• ¿Sigues despierto? Se te pasó la hora de dormir.
• Ya deberías estar en la cama. Mañana te quejas del sueño, ya verás.
• Anda, a dormir. Luego me cuentas.

Getting Kids Off Screens

• Ya es hora de dormir. Guardamos el móvil y listo.
• A la cama, ya. Mañana seguimos.
• Vamos a la cama. Te leo una página más y se acabó.

Talking To An Adult With Respect

• Es tarde. Si quiere, descanse un poco.
• Ya es hora de ir a la cama. Mañana seguimos con calma.
• Creo que ya pasó su hora de dormir.

Who You Mean	With “Acostarse”	With “Pasarse”
tú	Ya es hora de acostarte.	Se te pasó la hora de dormir.
usted	Ya es hora de acostarse.	Se le pasó la hora de dormir.
ustedes	Ya es hora de acostarse.	Se les pasó la hora de dormir.
nosotros/nosotras	Ya es hora de acostarnos.	Se nos pasó la hora de dormir.
vosotros/vosotras	Ya es hora de acostaros.	Se os pasó la hora de dormir.

Common Mistakes And Clean Fixes

These are the slips that make your Spanish sound translated. Fix them once and you’re done.

Copying English Word Order

Many learners try to mirror “it’s past your bedtime.” Spanish doesn’t use “is past” the same way here. Use one of these instead:

• Ya pasó tu hora de dormir.
• Se te pasó la hora de dormir.
• Ya es hora de dormir.

Forgetting The Reflexive Pronoun

If you say Ya es hora de acostar when you mean “go to bed,” it can sound like you’re talking about putting someone else to bed. Use acostarte or acostarse when the person is the one lying down.

Using “Buenas Noches” Alone

Buenas noches is a greeting and a send-off at night. It doesn’t mean “it’s past your bedtime.” Pair it if you want both:

• Ya es hora de dormir. Buenas noches.
• A la cama, ya. Buenas noches.

Make It Yours In Two Lines

Pick Ya es hora de dormir as your default, then adjust with one small add-on:

• Ya es hora de dormir, para ti. (playful)
• Ya pasó tu hora de dormir. (closest to “past your bedtime”)
• A la cama, ya. (firm, for kids)

Say it out loud once, then use it the next time the moment shows up. After a few repeats, it starts feeling like your Spanish.