Dormir To Sleep
This quick guide shows how dormir works in key tenses and highlights related irregulars like morir.
Dormir in the Present
Use the present tense of dormir to talk about sleeping habits or current actions. Dormir is a stem-changing verb where o changes to ue in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros forms.
| Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|
| yo duermo | I sleep / I am sleeping |
| tú duermes | you sleep / you are sleeping |
| él/ella/usted duerme | he/she/you (formal) sleeps / is sleeping |
| nosotros dormimos | we sleep / we are sleeping |
| vosotros dormís | you all sleep / you all are sleeping |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes duermen | they/you all (formal) sleep / are sleeping |
Examples
Dormir in the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe completed sleep events. In the preterite, dormir changes from o to u only in the third person forms (él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes).
| Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|
| yo dormí | I slept |
| tú dormiste | you slept |
| él/ella/usted durmió | he/she/you (formal) slept |
| nosotros dormimos | we slept |
| vosotros dormisteis | you all slept |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes durmieron | they/you all (formal) slept |
Examples
Dormir in the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing or repeated sleep in the past. Dormir conjugates regularly in the imperfect with no stem changes.
| Spanish Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|
| yo dormía | I used to sleep / I was sleeping |
| tú dormías | you used to sleep / you were sleeping |
| él/ella/usted dormía | he/she/you (formal) used to sleep / was sleeping |
| nosotros dormíamos | we used to sleep / we were sleeping |
| vosotros dormíais | you all used to sleep / you all were sleeping |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes dormían | they/you all (formal) used to sleep / were sleeping |
Examples
Related Verbs
Morir behaves like dormir in the preterite stem change, switching from o to u in third persons. Other common stem-changing verbs follow similar patterns.
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| morir | to die |
| dormir | to sleep |
Summary
Dormir is an o→ue stem-changing verb in the present tense except for nosotros/vosotros, and it shows an o→u stem change in the preterite third persons. The imperfect forms are regular. Learning these patterns helps you describe sleep and related actions clearly.
Last updated: Tue Sep 16, 2025