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SPANISH VERB

dormir

to sleep

  • #171 most used
  • Irregular -ir verb
  • Gerund: durmiendo
  • Past participle: dormido

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I sleep
  2. tú you sleep
  3. usted, él, ella he/she sleeps
  4. nosotros we sleep
  5. vosotros Spain you all sleep
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they sleep

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I slept
  2. tú you slept
  3. usted, él, ella he/she slept
  4. nosotros we slept
  5. vosotros Spain you all slept
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they slept

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to sleep
  2. tú you used to sleep
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to sleep
  4. nosotros we used to sleep
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to sleep
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to sleep

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will sleep
  2. tú you will sleep
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will sleep
  4. nosotros we will sleep
  5. vosotros Spain you all will sleep
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will sleep

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would sleep
  2. tú you would sleep
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would sleep
  4. nosotros we would sleep
  5. vosotros Spain you all would sleep
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would sleep

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I sleep
  2. tú (that) you sleep
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she sleep
  4. nosotros (that) we sleep
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all sleep
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they sleep

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I slept
  2. tú (if) you slept
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she slept
  4. nosotros (if) we slept
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all slept
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they slept

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú sleep!
  2. usted sleep! (formal)
  3. nosotros sleep! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain sleep! (all of you)
  5. ustedes sleep! (all of you)

How to use dormir

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

  1. Present

    Duermo ocho horas cuando puedo.

    I sleep eight hours when I can.

  2. Past

    El bebé durmió toda la noche por fin.

    The baby finally slept through the night.

  3. Imperfect

    De niña dormía con la luz prendida.

    As a girl I slept with the light on.

  4. Future

    Esta noche dormiremos en casa de mis papás.

    Tonight we will sleep at my parents' house.

  5. Conditional

    Dormiría hasta mediodía si me dejaran.

    I would sleep until noon if they let me.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Es importante que duermas bien antes del examen.

    It's important that you sleep well before the exam.

  7. Past subjunctive

    El doctor me recomendó que durmiera más.

    The doctor recommended that I sleep more.

  8. Imperative

    Duerme un rato, yo cuido a los niños.

    Sleep a while, I will watch the kids.

Good to know

  • Dormirse is to fall asleep: me dormí en el camión.

Where you hear dormir

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

Spanish · Beginner Level 1

  • En Casa Carmen todos duermen bien. At Casa Carmen everyone sleeps well.
  • Anoche dormí muy bien. Last night I slept very well.
  • Mañana vamos a dormir en Oaxaca. Tomorrow we're going to sleep in Oaxaca.

Spanish · Beginner Level 2

  • Los domingos duermo hasta las diez. On Sundays I sleep until ten.
  • Dormí todo el domingo. I slept all Sunday.
  • Esta noche voy a dormir muy bien. Tonight I'm going to sleep very well.
3
This Is Your Room

Beginner Level 1 · ¡Duerme bien!

Needs a subscription 16
We Climbed the Mountain

Beginner Level 2 · dormí · dormiste

Needs a subscription 26
Everybody Was Dancing

Beginner Level 2 · durmiendo

Needs a subscription 2
You Have to Lie Diagonally

Beginner Level 3 · dormir · dormimos · duermo · durmió

Free 17
The Lights Go Out

Beginner Level 3 · durmieron

Needs a subscription 21
What Would We Do?

Intermediate Level 1 · dormir en el sillón

Needs a subscription 16
The Guelaguetza

Intermediate Level 2 · duermes

Needs a subscription 1
Are You Mexican?

Advanced Level 1 · no hemos dormido

Free 11
Where Did You Study?

Advanced Level 1 · dormisteis

Needs a subscription 22
A Song from the Balcony

Advanced Level 2 · no duerme nadie

Needs a subscription 11
The East Wind

Advanced Level 3 · dormíamos en la playa

Needs a subscription 28
A Midwife, Not an Exam

Fluency Level 2 · a dormir

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

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