Dormir vs Dormirse – To Sleep

Dormir is the straightforward verb for sleeping and describes the state of being asleep during a period of time. Use it when you talk about how long someone sleeps or when they are generally asleep.

Dormirse is the reflexive form that emphasizes the process of falling asleep rather than the sleep itself. Use it for the moment when someone goes from awake to asleep, sometimes involuntarily.

Use dormir to talk about sustained sleep and dormirse to highlight the transition into sleep. The difference often shapes the meaning of sentences and triggers different typical time expressions.

There are set phrases and expressions that use one or the other verb consistently, so paying attention to common collocations helps you sound natural when talking about sleep and sleepiness.

In short: use dormir for the act of sleeping and dormirse for falling asleep. Practicing short sentences with each will make the difference feel intuitive in everyday speech.