Adormecer Present Tense in Spanish
adormecer means "to make sleepy" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for adormecer, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo adormezco al bebé con una canción. — "Every day, I make sleepy the baby with a song." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of adormecer: full table
Every person of adormecer in the present tense. The gerund is adormeciendo and the past participle is adormecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | adormezco |
| tú | adormeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | adormece |
| nosotros/as | adormecemos |
| vosotros/as | adormecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | adormecen |
The gerund of adormecer is adormeciendo and the past participle is adormecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy adormeciendo), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he adormecido).
How the present tense of adormecer is formed
The present tense of adormecer is built from the stem adormec- plus the regular -er endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Take the infinitive, remove the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo adormezco, tú adormeces, él adormece, nosotros adormecemos, vosotros adormecéis and ellos adormecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | adormezco |
| tú | -es | adormeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | adormece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | adormecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | adormecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | adormecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is adormezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example adormezca.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is adormeciendo, used for the progressive with estar: estoy adormeciendo. The past participle is adormecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he adormecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with adormecer
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo adormezco al bebé con una canción. — "Every day, I make sleepy the baby with a song." The complement in this sentence is about the baby with a song, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear adormecer in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú adormeces a los niños con un cuento. — "Now, you make sleepy the children with a story." The complement in this sentence is about the children with a story, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear adormecer in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él adormece al paciente con la medicina. — "Normally, he/she makes sleepy the patient with the medicine." The complement in this sentence is about the patient with the medicine, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear adormecer in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros adormecemos a su abuela con la música. — "Tomorrow, we make sleepy his grandmother with the music." The complement in this sentence is about his grandmother with the music, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear adormecer in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos adormecen al bebé con una canción. — "Always, they make sleepy the baby with a song." The complement in this sentence is about the baby with a song, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear adormecer in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: adormecer
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with adormecer.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo adormezco al bebé con una canción. — "Every day, I make sleepy the baby with a song."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo adormecí al bebé con una canción. — "Yesterday, I made sleepy the baby with a song."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú adormeces a los niños con un cuento. — "Every day, you make sleepy the children with a story."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú adormeciste a los niños con un cuento. — "Yesterday, you made sleepy the children with a story."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él adormece al paciente con la medicina. — "Every day, he/she makes sleepy the patient with the medicine."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él adormeció al paciente con la medicina. — "Yesterday, he/she made sleepy the patient with the medicine."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: adormecer in the present tense
These eight sentences show adormecer in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo adormezco al bebé con una canción. — "I make sleepy the baby with a song."
- Tú adormeces a los niños con un cuento. — "you make sleepy the children with a story."
- Él adormece al paciente con la medicina. — "he/she makes sleepy the patient with the medicine."
- Nosotros adormecemos a su abuela con la música. — "we make sleepy his grandmother with the music."
- Vosotros adormecéis al bebé con una canción. — "you (plural) make sleepy the baby with a song."
- Ellos adormecen a los niños con un cuento. — "they make sleepy the children with a story."
- Yo adormezco al paciente con la medicina. — "I make sleepy the patient with the medicine."
- Tú adormeces a su abuela con la música. — "you make sleepy his grandmother with the music."
Common mistakes with adormecer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo adormeco al bebé con una canción.
- Right: Yo adormezco al bebé con una canción.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is adormezco, never adormeco. The other persons keep the plain c: adormeces, adormece.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me adormezco al bebé con una canción.
- Right: Yo adormezco al bebé con una canción.
- Why: adormecer is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo adormezco a los niños con un cuento.
- Right: Ayer, yo adormecí a los niños con un cuento.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo adormecí a los niños con un cuento. — "Yesterday, I made sleepy the children with a story." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo adormezco al paciente con la medicina.
- Right: Antes, yo adormecía al paciente con la medicina.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo adormecía al paciente con la medicina. — "In the past, I used to make sleepy the patient with the medicine." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros adormece al bebé con una canción.
- Right: Nosotros adormecemos al bebé con una canción.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes adormecemos, while adormece belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of adormecer
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of adormecer. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of adormecer in the present tense?
- (a) adormecemos
- (b) adormezco
- (c) adormeces
- (d) adormece
Answer: (b) adormezco. The yo form is adormezco. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of adormecer in the present tense?
- (a) adormeces
- (b) adormezco
- (c) adormece
- (d) adormecemos
Answer: (a) adormeces. The tú form is adormeces. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of adormecer in the present tense?
- (a) adormezco
- (b) adormeces
- (c) adormecemos
- (d) adormece
Answer: (d) adormece. The él/ella form is adormece. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of adormecer in the present tense?
- (a) adormeces
- (b) adormece
- (c) adormecemos
- (d) adormezco
Answer: (c) adormecemos. The nosotros form is adormecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of adormecer in the present tense?
- (a) adormece
- (b) adormecen
- (c) adormezco
- (d) adormeces
Answer: (b) adormecen. The ellos/ellas form is adormecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ al bebé con una canción.
- (a) adormezco
- (b) adormeces
- (c) adormece
- (d) adormecemos
Answer: (a) adormezco. The sentence needs the yo form adormezco (Every day, I make sleepy the baby with a song.)
7. What is the gerund of adormecer?
- (a) adormeciendo
- (b) adormecido
- (c) adormezco
- (d) adormecer
Answer: (a) adormeciendo. The gerund is adormeciendo, used for the progressive: estoy adormeciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo adormecía a los niños con un cuento.
- (b) Ayer, yo adormecí a los niños con un cuento.
- (c) Mañana, yo adormeceré a los niños con un cuento.
- (d) Cada día, yo adormezco a los niños con un cuento.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo adormezco a los niños con un cuento.. Cada día, yo adormezco a los niños con un cuento. (Every day, I make sleepy the children with a story.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo adormecí a los niños con un cuento. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo adormeceré a los niños con un cuento. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of adormecer
Is adormecer regular in the present tense?
Almost. adormecer is a spelling-changing (c → zc before o and a) -er verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is adormezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example adormezca.
How do you say 'make sleepy' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo adormezco al bebé con una canción. — "Every day, I make sleepy the baby with a song." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with adormecer?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo adormezco a los niños con un cuento. — "Every day, I make sleepy the children with a story." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo adormecí a los niños con un cuento. — "Yesterday, I made sleepy the children with a story." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with adormecer?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros adormecemos a su abuela con la música. — "Tomorrow, we make sleepy his grandmother with the music." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.