Introduction

Addormentarsi means “to fall asleep”, and this page covers exactly one thing: addormentarsi in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for addormentarsi, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about addormentarsi in the present. It is the reflexive verb for falling asleep, and it is completely regular. Every form carries a reflexive pronoun, and the passato prossimo is formed with essere, as it is for all reflexive verbs. Its opposite is svegliarsi, to wake up. For example: “Lui si addormenta ogni giorno.” — “He falls asleep.” Everything on this page uses the forms of addormentarsi exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Addormentarsi in the Present — full table

Person Form
io mi addormento
tu ti addormenti
lui/lei si addormenta
noi ci addormentiamo
voi vi addormentate
loro si addormentano
Gerund: addormentandosi · Past participle: addormentato
The gerund is addormentandosi, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Addormentandosi, imparo molto.” — “While falling asleep, I learn a lot.” The past participle is addormentato, which you use with essere in the perfect tenses: mi sono addormentato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how addormentarsi is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for addormentarsi, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of addormentarsi is formed

The present tense of addormentarsi has six forms: io mi addormento, tu ti addormenti, lui si addormenta, noi ci addormentiamo, voi vi addormentate, loro si addormentano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. addormentarsi is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of addormentarsi are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning ci addormentiamo and vi addormentate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so mi addormento can mean both “I fall asleep” and “I am falling asleep” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because addormentarsi is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of addormentarsi

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use addormentarsi in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and addormentarsi is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io mi addormento ogni giorno.” — “I fall asleep.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about addormentarsi does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui si addormenta ogni giorno.” — “He falls asleep.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with addormentarsi in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi ci addormentiamo ogni giorno.” — “We fall asleep.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu ti addormenti ogni giorno.” — “You fall asleep.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and addormentarsi in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro si addormentano ogni giorno.” — “They fall asleep.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui si addormenta ogni giorno.” — “He falls asleep”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui si è addormentato questa settimana.” — “He has fallen asleep”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io mi addormento ogni giorno.” — “I fall asleep”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io mi sono addormentato questa settimana.” — “I have fallen asleep”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu ti addormenti ogni giorno.” — “You fall asleep”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu ti sei addormentato questa settimana.” — “You have fallen asleep”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: addormentarsi in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io mi addormento ogni giorno.” — “I fall asleep”
  2. “Tu ti addormenti ogni giorno.” — “You fall asleep”
  3. “Lui si addormenta ogni giorno.” — “He falls asleep”
  4. “Noi ci addormentiamo ogni giorno.” — “We fall asleep”
  5. “Voi vi addormentate ogni giorno.” — “You fall asleep”
  6. “Loro si addormentano ogni giorno.” — “They fall asleep”
  7. “Io mi addormento ogni giorno.” — “I fall asleep”
  8. “Lui si addormenta ogni giorno.” — “He falls asleep”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io ti addormenti.” Right: “Io mi addormento ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is mi addormento, not ti addormenti. ti addormenti is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi mi addormento.” Right: “Noi ci addormentiamo ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form ci addormentiamo. mi addormento belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io mi addormento ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io mi sono addormentato questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo mi sono addormentato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io addormentarsi.” Right: “Io mi addormento ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive addormentarsi never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form mi addormento.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) ti addormenti
    • B) mi addormento
    • C) si addormenta
    • D) ci addormentiamo

  2. What is the tu form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) mi addormento
    • B) si addormenta
    • C) ti addormenti
    • D) ci addormentiamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) mi addormento
    • B) ti addormenti
    • C) ci addormentiamo
    • D) si addormenta

  4. What is the noi form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) ci addormentiamo
    • B) mi addormento
    • C) ti addormenti
    • D) si addormenta

  5. What is the voi form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) mi addormento
    • B) vi addormentate
    • C) ti addormenti
    • D) si addormenta

  6. What is the loro form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) mi addormento
    • B) ti addormenti
    • C) si addormentano
    • D) si addormenta

  7. What is the io form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) ti addormenti
    • B) si addormenta
    • C) ci addormentiamo
    • D) mi addormento

  8. What is the tu form of addormentarsi in the Present indicative?

    • A) ti addormenti
    • B) mi addormento
    • C) si addormenta
    • D) ci addormentiamo

Answer key

  1. B) mi addormento — the correct form is mi addormento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ti addormenti — the correct form is ti addormenti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) si addormenta — the correct form is si addormenta. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) ci addormentiamo — the correct form is ci addormentiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) vi addormentate — the correct form is vi addormentate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) si addormentano — the correct form is si addormentano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) mi addormento — the correct form is mi addormento. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) ti addormenti — the correct form is ti addormenti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does addormentarsi mean in English?

addormentarsi means “to fall asleep”. It is a reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of addormentarsi formed?

The six present forms are: io mi addormento, tu ti addormenti, lui si addormenta, noi ci addormentiamo, voi vi addormentate, loro si addormentano. addormentarsi is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of addormentarsi?

The gerund is addormentandosi and the past participle is addormentato.

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