Introduction
Dormir means “to sleep”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Dormir is the verb for sleeping at night, and it is followed by time expressions and place expressions rather than an object. Dormir bien and dormir mal describe the quality of sleep. They are the standard phrases for saying how you slept. This page shows dormir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — I sleep eight hours every night.
Dormir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how dormir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use dormir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — I sleep eight hours every night.
“¿Tú duermes bien por la noche?” — Do you sleep well at night?
“Mi padre duerme mal cuando hace calor.” — My father sleeps badly when it is hot.
“Nosotros dormimos en una habitación tranquila.” — We sleep in a quiet room.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show dormir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Anoche yo dormí solo cinco horas.” — Last night I slept only five hours. (preterite)
“El bebé dormía toda la noche cuando era pequeño.” — The baby used to sleep all night when he was little. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of dormir stays the same.
“Nosotros dormiremos en el hotel mañana.” — We will sleep at the hotel tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has dormido bien esta noche?” — Have you slept well tonight? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros dormís hasta las diez los domingos.” — You sleep until ten on Sundays.
“Ellos duermen la siesta después de comer.” — They sleep a siesta after lunch.
“Yo duermo con la ventana abierta.” — I sleep with the window open.
“El bebé duerme toda la noche.” — The baby sleeps all night.
Dormir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how dormir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Sara: “¿Tú duermes bien por la noche?” — Do you sleep well at night?
Diego: “Sí, yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — Yes, I sleep eight hours every night.
Sara: “Nosotros dormimos en una habitación tranquila.” — We sleep in a quiet room.
Diego: “Y ellos duermen la siesta después de comer.” — And they sleep a siesta after lunch.
Sara: “Vosotros dormís hasta las diez los domingos.” — You sleep until ten on Sundays.
Diego: “Sí, y el bebé duerme toda la noche.” — Yes, and the baby sleeps all night.
A short paragraph
Sara duerme ocho horas cada noche, y su padre duerme mal cuando hace calor. Nosotros dormimos en una habitación tranquila, y ellos duermen la siesta después de comer. Yo duermo con la ventana abierta, y el bebé duerme toda la noche. Dormir is part of every night, because sleeping well, sleeping badly and sleeping a siesta are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with dormir
These are the errors learners actually make with dormir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo dormimos ocho horas.” Right: “Yo duermo ocho horas.” Why: The yo form is duermo, with the o → ue change, not dormimos. The change appears in yo, tú, él and ellos, while nosotros and vosotros keep the o: dormimos, dormís.
Wrong: “Nosotros duermen la siesta.” Right: “Nosotros dormimos la siesta.” Why: Nosotros keeps the unchanged stem: dormimos, not duermen. The stem change never applies to nosotros or vosotros.
Wrong: “Yo duermo ocho horas ayer.” Right: “Anoche yo dormí cinco horas.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished night of sleep. Anoche forces the preterite, so the form must change to dormí.
Wrong: “Ellos duerme la siesta.” Right: “Ellos duermen la siesta.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form duermen. The singular duerme belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el bebé.
Wrong: “Ellos duermo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos duermen todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form duermen, not the yo form duermo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: dormir in use
Ten questions on dormir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ hasta las diez los domingos.” (You sleep until ten on Sundays.)
- (a) duermes
- (b) dormís
- (c) duermo
Answer: dormís — The vosotros/as form of dormir in the present tense is dormís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la siesta después de comer.” (They sleep a siesta after lunch.)
- (a) duermen
- (b) duermo
- (c) duermes
Answer: duermen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dormir in the present tense is duermen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Anoche yo ______ solo cinco horas.” (Last night I slept only five hours.)
- (a) dormiste
- (b) durmió
- (c) dormí
Answer: dormí — In the preterite, the yo form of dormir is dormí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “El bebé ______ toda la noche cuando era pequeño.” (The baby used to sleep all night when he was little.)
- (a) dormías
- (b) dormía
- (c) dormía
Answer: dormía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of dormir is dormía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ en el hotel mañana.” (We will sleep at the hotel tomorrow.)
- (a) dormiremos
- (b) dormiré
- (c) dormirás
Answer: dormiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of dormir is dormiremos.
6. What does dormir mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to sleep
Answer: to sleep — Dormir means “to sleep”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo duermo ocho horas.
- (b) Yo dormimos ocho horas.
- (c) Nosotros duermen la siesta.
Answer: Yo duermo ocho horas. — “Yo duermo ocho horas.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I sleep with the window open.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo duermen con la ventana abierta.
- (b) Yo duermo con la ventana abierta.
- (c) El bebé duerme toda la noche.
Answer: Yo duermo con la ventana abierta. — “Yo duermo con la ventana abierta.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of dormir in the present tense?
- (a) duermo
- (b) duermes
- (c) dormimos
Answer: dormimos — The nosotros form is dormimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Anoche yo dormí solo cinco horas.
- (b) Nosotros dormiremos en el hotel mañana.
- (c) Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.
Answer: Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche. — “Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I sleep eight hours' in Spanish?
Say 'Duermo ocho horas'. The hours follow the verb directly with no preposition. For a routine: 'Duermo ocho horas cada noche'.
How do you say 'to take a nap' in Spanish?
Say 'dormir la siesta' or 'echarse una siesta'. 'Ellos duermen la siesta después de comer' means they sleep a siesta after lunch.
How do you say 'I can't sleep' in Spanish?
Say 'No puedo dormir'. Poder + infinitive is the structure for ability, and dormir stays in the infinitive. For a bad night: 'No dormí bien anoche'.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of dormir — every tense of dormir in one place.
- Dormir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on dormir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of dormir until they are automatic.