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FRENCH VERB

dormir

to sleep

  • #63 most used
  • Irregular -ir verb
  • Past participle: dormi
  • Present participle: dormant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I sleep
  2. tu you sleep
  3. il, elle, on he/she sleeps
  4. nous we sleep
  5. vous you sleep
  6. ils, elles they sleep

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I slept
  2. tu you slept
  3. il, elle, on he/she slept
  4. nous we slept
  5. vous you slept
  6. ils, elles they slept

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to sleep
  2. tu you used to sleep
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to sleep
  4. nous we used to sleep
  5. vous you used to sleep
  6. ils, elles they used to sleep

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will sleep
  2. tu you will sleep
  3. il, elle, on he/she will sleep
  4. nous we will sleep
  5. vous you will sleep
  6. ils, elles they will sleep

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would sleep
  2. tu you would sleep
  3. il, elle, on he/she would sleep
  4. nous we would sleep
  5. vous you would sleep
  6. ils, elles they would sleep

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I sleep
  2. tu (that) you sleep
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she sleep
  4. nous (that) we sleep
  5. vous (that) you sleep
  6. ils, elles (that) they sleep

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu sleep!
  2. nous sleep! (let’s)
  3. vous sleep! (plural, or formal)

How to use dormir

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Parle doucement, le bébé dort enfin.

    Speak softly, the baby's finally asleep.

  2. Past

    J'ai mal dormi, le lit était trop dur.

    I slept badly, the bed was too hard.

  3. Imperfect

    Il dormait encore quand je suis parti.

    He was still sleeping when I left.

  4. Future

    Vous dormirez dans la chambre du haut.

    You'll sleep in the upstairs room.

  5. Conditional

    Je dormirais mieux avec moins de bruit.

    I'd sleep better with less noise.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu dormes, demain c'est important.

    You need to sleep, tomorrow's important.

  7. Imperative

    Dormez bien, et à demain matin !

    Sleep well, and see you tomorrow morning!

Good to know

  • Dormir is to sleep; to go to bed is se coucher, to fall asleep s'endormir.

Where you hear dormir

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 1

  • Je dors très bien ici. I sleep very well here.
  • Hier, j'ai dormi pendant dix heures. Yesterday I slept for ten hours.
  • Vous allez bien dormir, la chambre est calme. You're going to sleep well, the room is quiet.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Je dors très bien ici. I sleep very well here.
  • Hier, j'ai dormi pendant dix heures. Yesterday I slept for ten hours.
  • Vous allez bien dormir, la chambre est calme. You're going to sleep well, the room is quiet.
3
Here Is Your Room

Beginner Level 1 · Dormez bien !

Needs a subscription 1
Back in Lyon

Beginner Level 2 · dormir · tu dors · je dors

Free 13
How Often?

Beginner Level 2 · il dort

Needs a subscription 11
Packing for Brittany

Beginner Level 3 · je dormirai

Needs a subscription 16
The Tide

Beginner Level 3 · je dormais

Needs a subscription 20
Back from Brittany

Beginner Level 3 · j'ai dormi

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ir verb.