Introduction

Dormir means “to sleep”, and this page covers exactly one thing: dormir in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish 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 dormir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about dormir in the present. Dormir is the verb for sleeping at night, and it is followed by time expressions and place expressions rather than an object. For example: “Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — I sleep eight hours every night. Everything on this page uses the forms of dormir exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Dormir in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo duermo
tú duermes
él/ella/Ud. duerme
nosotros/as dormimos
vosotros/as dormís
ellos/ellas/Uds. duermen

Gerund: durmiendo · Past participle: dormido

The gerund is durmiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy durmiendo” means the action of dormir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is dormido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he dormido” is the present perfect, 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 dormir is used.

How the present of dormir is formed

Dormir is a stem-changing -ir verb: the stem vowel changes from o → ue in the stressed forms. That means yo, tú, él/ella/Ud. and ellos/ellas/Uds. take the changed stem, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Start from the stem dorm and add the regular -ir endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en: you get duermo, duermes, duerme, then back to the unchanged stem for dormimos and dormís, and the changed stem again for duermen. The nosotros and vosotros forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect the change everywhere — it is not there. Learn the four changed forms and the two unchanged forms as two groups and the pattern becomes automatic.

The stem change o → ue also affects the gerund (durmiendo) and the present subjunctive (duerma, duermas), so learn it as a property of the verb. The preterite has its own change: durmió and durmieron carry the u in the third person, while dormí, dormiste and dormimos keep the o. Do not confuse dormir with dormirse: the reflexive form means to fall asleep, and it takes the pronouns me, te, se, nos, os, se.

When to use the present of dormir

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

1. Sleeping at night

Dormir is the verb for sleeping at night, and it is followed by time expressions and place expressions rather than an object. Example: “Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — I sleep eight hours every night.

2. Sleeping badly or well

Dormir bien and dormir mal describe the quality of sleep. They are the standard phrases for saying how you slept. Example: “Mi padre duerme mal cuando hace calor.” — My father sleeps badly when it is hot.

3. Sleeping in a place

Dormir en + place means to sleep in a place: in a hotel, in a tent, at a friend's house. The en marks where you spend the night, and it is the standard phrase for talking about where you sleep. Example: “Nosotros dormimos en el hotel.” — We sleep at the hotel.

4. 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 dormir is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — I sleep eight hours every night.

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with dormir in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros dormimos en una habitación tranquila.” — We sleep in a quiet room.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite 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 todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Yo duermo ocho horas todas las noches.” — I sleep eight hours every night.

  • Preterite: “Anoche yo dormí solo cinco horas.” — Last night I slept only five hours.

  • Todas las noches describes a routine, so the present is right; anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “El bebé duerme toda la noche siempre.” — The baby always sleeps all night.

  • Preterite: “El bebé durmió toda la noche ayer.” — The baby slept all night yesterday.

  • Siempre signals a routine, so the present fits; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite fits.

  • Present Tense: “Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — I sleep eight hours every night.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo dormí ocho horas cada noche.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.

  • The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: dormir 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, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Yo duermo ocho horas cada noche.” — I sleep eight hours every night.

  2. “¿Tú duermes bien por la noche?” — Do you sleep well at night?

  3. “Mi padre duerme mal cuando hace calor.” — My father sleeps badly when it is hot.

  4. “Nosotros dormimos en una habitación tranquila.” — We sleep in a quiet room.

  5. “Vosotros dormís hasta las diez los domingos.” — You sleep until ten on Sundays.

  6. “Ellos duermen la siesta después de comer.” — They sleep a siesta after lunch.

  7. “Yo duermo con la ventana abierta.” — I sleep with the window open.

  8. “El bebé duerme toda la noche.” — The baby sleeps all night.

Common mistakes with dormir in the present

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: “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.

Quiz: dormir in the present

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. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ ocho horas cada noche.” (I sleep eight hours every night.)

  • (a) duermes
  • (b) duerme
  • (c) duermo

Answer: duermo — The yo form of dormir in the present is duermo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ bien por la noche?” (Do you sleep well at night?)

  • (a) duerme
  • (b) duermes
  • (c) duermo

Answer: duermes — The tú form of dormir in the present is duermes. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Mi padre ______ mal cuando hace calor.” (My father sleeps badly when it is hot.)

  • (a) duerme
  • (b) duermo
  • (c) duermes

Answer: duerme — The él/ella/Ud. form of dormir in the present is duerme. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ en una habitación tranquila.” (We sleep in a quiet room.)

  • (a) duermo
  • (b) duermes
  • (c) dormimos

Answer: dormimos — The nosotros/as form of dormir in the present is dormimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of dormir in the present?

  • (a) duermes
  • (b) dormís
  • (c) duermo

Answer: dormís — From the table above: vosotros/as takes dormís. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros dormís hasta las diez los domingos.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la siesta después de comer.” (They sleep a siesta after lunch.)

  • (a) duermo
  • (b) duermes
  • (c) duermen

Answer: duermen — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is duermen.

7. Dormir is a stem-changing verb (o → ue). Which form keeps the ORIGINAL stem?

  • (a) dormimos
  • (b) duermo
  • (c) duermen

Answer: dormimos — In a o → ue stem-changing verb, nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem, while yo, tú, él and ellos take the changed stem. So dormimos is the unchanged form.

8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?

  • (a) Yo duermo ocho horas todas las noches.
  • (b) Anoche yo dormí solo cinco horas.
  • (c) Anoche yo dormí solo cinco horas.

Answer: Yo duermo ocho horas todas las noches. — “Yo duermo ocho horas todas las noches.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.

Frequently asked questions

Is dormir regular in the present tense?

No. Dormir is a stem-changing -ir verb: the o of the stem becomes ue in the stressed forms yo, tú, él and ellos (duermo, duermes, duerme, duermen), while nosotros and vosotros keep the o (dormimos, dormís). The endings are the regular -ir endings.

What is the gerund of dormir?

The gerund is durmiendo, with the o → u change: the stem vowel changes before the -iendo ending. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress: 'Está durmiendo la siesta' (He is sleeping a siesta).

What is the difference between dormir and dormirse?

Dormir means to sleep, while dormirse means to fall asleep. 'Duermo ocho horas' describes the night's sleep; 'Me duermo pronto' describes the moment sleep arrives. The reflexive form adds the idea of becoming asleep.

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