bostezar
verbCEFR B1
What does “bostezar” mean in English?
to yawn
to yawn (regular -ar verb; el bostezo = a yawn; zero cognate — pure memorisation item)
Example sentences
A mitad de la conferencia, varios asistentes empezaron a bostezar discretamente, lo que dejaba claro que el ponente había perdido a su audiencia.
Halfway through the lecture, several attendees started yawning discreetly, which made it clear that the speaker had lost his audience.
Intenté no bostezar durante la cena, pero era tan tarde que no pude evitarlo y tuve que disculparme.
I tried not to yawn during dinner, but it was so late that I couldn't help it and had to excuse myself.
Bostezar es contagioso; en cuanto alguien en la sala bostezó, todos empezamos a hacerlo sin poder controlarnos.
Yawning is contagious; as soon as someone in the room yawned, we all started doing it without being able to control ourselves.
How to use it
Bostezar means 'to yawn'. It is a regular -ar verb with no irregular forms. It describes the involuntary act of opening the mouth wide and inhaling when tired, bored, or when yawning is contagious. Common in narrative and descriptive contexts: students bostezaban en clase (were yawning in class), bostezó varias veces durante la reunión (yawned several times during the meeting). The noun is el bostezo (a yawn). There is no English cognate — this is a pure memory item.
Common mistake
Zero cognate — bostezar looks nothing like 'yawn'. The only strategy is full memorisation aided by context. The verb is fully regular: bosteza, bostezaba, bostezó. The noun bostezo (a yawn) follows the standard -o pattern. Bostezar is not related to bota (boot) or any other high-frequency word — it is phonically isolated and needs deliberate encoding.