Dormir is an irregular verb in Spanish that means "to sleep." It belongs to the -ir verb group but follows a special stem-changing pattern in certain forms (o → ue). It is also an important verb for talking about rest, tiredness, and daily routines.

Definition

Dormir* means "to sleep" or "to go to sleep."

Usage

  • ... when you want to express the act of sleeping or going to bed.
  • ... when talking about how many hours one sleeps or describing sleep habits.

Irregularities

  • Stem changes from o → ue in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros (e.g., duermo, duermes, duerme, duermen).
  • The gerund form is durmiendo (not durmiendo).
  • The past participle is dormido (used with haber for compound tenses).
  • The preterite tense has stem changes in the third person singular and plural (durmió, durmieron).

In which preterite forms does the stem change occur?


third person singular and plural (durmió, durmieron)

Stem changes in the preterite are limited to third person singular and plural, unique to certain -ir verbs like 'dormir.'

Examples

  • Voy a dormir ocho horas. (I’m going to sleep eight hours.)
  • ¿Duermes bien por la noche? (Do you sleep well at night?)
  • Ellos durmieron en el hotel. (They slept in the hotel.)
  • Estoy durmiendo ahora. (I’m sleeping right now.)
  • Dormí tarde anoche. (I slept late last night.)

Conjugations

Present Indicative

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Yo duermoI sleep / I am sleepingNosotros dormimosWe sleep / We are sleeping
Tú duermesYou sleep / You are sleepingVosotros dormísYou (pl.) sleep / are sleeping
Él/Ella duermeHe/She sleepsEllos/Ellas duermenThey sleep

Preterite Indicative

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Yo dormíI sleptNosotros dormimosWe slept
Tú dormisteYou sleptVosotros dormisteisYou (pl.) slept
Él/Ella durmióHe/She sleptEllos/Ellas durmieronThey slept

Imperfect Indicative

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Yo dormíaI used to sleepNosotros dormíamosWe used to sleep
Tú dormíasYou used to sleepVosotros dormíaisYou (pl.) used to sleep
Él/Ella dormíaHe/She used to sleepEllos/Ellas dormíanThey used to sleep

Future Indicative

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Yo dormiréI will sleepNosotros dormiremosWe will sleep
Tú dormirásYou will sleepVosotros dormiréisYou (pl.) will sleep
Él/Ella dormiráHe/She will sleepEllos/Ellas dormiránThey will sleep

Conditional

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Yo dormiríaI would sleepNosotros dormiríamosWe would sleep
Tú dormiríasYou would sleepVosotros dormiríaisYou (pl.) would sleep
Él/Ella dormiríaHe/She would sleepEllos/Ellas dormiríanThey would sleep

Present Subjunctive

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Yo duermaI sleep (may)Nosotros durmamosWe sleep (may)
Tú duermasYou sleep (may)Vosotros durmáisYou (pl.) sleep (may)
Él/Ella duermaHe/She sleeps (may)Ellos/Ellas duermanThey sleep (may)

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra form)

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Yo durmieraI slept (if …)Nosotros durmiéramosWe slept (if …)
Tú durmierasYou slept (if …)Vosotros durmieraisYou (pl.) slept (if …)
Él/Ella durmieraHe/She slept (if …)Ellos/Ellas durmieranThey slept (if …)

Imperative

SpanishEnglish SingularSpanish PluralEnglish Plural
Nosotros durmamosLet’s sleep
Vosotros dormidSleep (you all)
Ellos/Ellas duermanLet them sleep

Gerund and Past Participle

FormUsageExample
DurmiendoGerund (…ing)Estoy durmiendo. (I’m sleeping.)
DormidoPast participleHe dormido mucho. (I have slept a lot.)

Related Phrases

  • dormir bien/mal — to sleep well/badly
  • dormir la siesta — to take a nap
  • dormir como un tronco — to sleep like a log (very deeply)
  • irse a dormir — to go to bed / go to sleep
  • estar dormido/a — to be asleep

Common Mistakes

  • Using the stem change o → ue in nosotros and vosotros forms (e.g., dormimos and dormís are correct, durmimos is incorrect).
  • Confusing dormir (to sleep) with dormirse (to fall asleep), which is a reflexive verb. For example:
    • Yo duermo ocho horas.* (I sleep eight hours.)
    • Yo me duermo rápidamente.* (I fall asleep quickly.)
  • Overusing the present participle durmiendo in contexts where the simple present is more appropriate. For example:
    • Estoy durmiendo.* (I’m sleeping.) is correct in the moment.
    • Duermo ocho horas.* (I sleep eight hours.) is more general.

Which is incorrect: 'Nosotros durmimos ocho horas'?


Incorrect (should be dormimos)

'Durmimos' is wrong; stem change does not occur in nosotros forms. The correct form is 'dormimos.'

When is 'durmiendo' appropriate?


Use durmiendo with estar for actions happening right now (Estoy durmiendo).

'Durmiendo' is a gerund used with estar for ongoing actions. It is incorrect in past, nominal, or future infinitive constructions.

Summary

  • Dormir means "to sleep"; stem changes o → ue except in nosotros/vosotros.
  • Irregular forms appear in preterite (durmió, durmieron).
  • Use durmiendo for "sleeping" and dormido for "slept" (past participle).
  • Include reflexive pronoun when using dormirse (to fall asleep).
  • Useful for talking about sleep habits, routines, and descriptions.

Flashcards (1 of 24)

    • English Singular: I sleep / I am sleeping
    • English Plural: We sleep / We are sleeping

    Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

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