Dormire Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

dormire — to sleep — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ire verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb of sleeping, and it is completely regular. It is the model verb for the -ire conjugation without -isc-, so its tables show the plain -ire endings in every tense. On this page you will find dormire in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the dormire conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the dormire passato prossimo tense page.

Example sentences with dormire

In the present tense

  • “Io dormo bene ogni giorno.” — “I sleep well”
  • “Tu dormi bene ogni giorno.” — “You sleep well”
  • “Lui dorme bene ogni giorno.” — “He sleeps well”
  • “Noi dormiamo bene ogni giorno.” — “We sleep well”
  • “Voi dormite bene ogni giorno.” — “You sleep well”
  • “Loro dormono bene ogni giorno.” — “They sleep well”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” — “I have slept well”
  • “Tu hai dormito bene questa settimana.” — “You have slept well”
  • “Lui ha dormito bene questa settimana.” — “He has slept well”
  • “Noi abbiamo dormito bene questa settimana.” — “We have slept well”
  • “Voi avete dormito bene questa settimana.” — “You have slept well”
  • “Loro hanno dormito bene questa settimana.” — “They have slept well”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Io dormivo bene una volta.” — “I used to sleep well”
  • “Tu dormirai bene domani.” — “You will sleep well”
  • “Lui dormirebbe bene un giorno.” — “He would sleep well”
  • “È importante che noi dormiamo bene.” — “It is important that we sleep well”
  • “Dormi bene!” — “Sleep well!”

How dormire is used

The first thing to know about dormire is its core meaning: to sleep. It is the verb of sleeping, and it is completely regular. It is the model verb for the -ire conjugation without -isc-, so its tables show the plain -ire endings in every tense. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the passato prossimo, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company dormire keeps. The present io form is dormo, and it pairs naturally with the time words ogni giorno and sempre for habits, and with adesso for what is happening right now. The passato prossimo io form is ho dormito, and it pairs with ieri and questa settimana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what dormire does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need dormo, never dormire. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho dormito, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle dormito is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Dormire in context

Io dormo bene ogni giorno. Tu dormi bene ogni giorno. Lui dorme bene ogni giorno. Noi dormiamo bene ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of dormire is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — dormo, dormi, dorme, dormiamo — while the meaning stays the same: to sleep. Io ho dormito bene questa settimana. Tu hai dormito bene questa settimana. Lui ha dormito bene questa settimana. Noi abbiamo dormito bene questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of dormire appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to sleep — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Io dormire bene.”

✓ Right: “Io dormo bene ogni giorno.”

The infinitive dormire never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form dormo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io dormi bene.”

✓ Right: “Io dormo bene ogni giorno.”

dormi is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is dormo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io dormo bene ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho dormito here, not the present dormo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono dormito bene.”

✓ Right: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.”

dormire takes avere in the passato prossimo. The io form is ho dormito — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on dormire across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of dormire in the Present indicative?

    • A) dormo
    • B) dormi
    • C) dorme
    • D) dormiamo

  2. What is the io form of dormire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) hai dormito
    • B) ha dormito
    • C) ho dormito
    • D) abbiamo dormito

  3. What is the lui/lei form of dormire in the Imperfect?

    • A) dormivo
    • B) dormivi
    • C) dormivamo
    • D) dormiva

  4. What is the noi form of dormire in the Future?

    • A) dormiremo
    • B) dormirò
    • C) dormirai
    • D) dormirà

  5. What is the tu form of dormire in the Conditional?

    • A) dormirei
    • B) dormiresti
    • C) dormirebbe
    • D) dormiremmo

  6. What is the io form of dormire in the Passato remoto?

    • A) dormisti
    • B) dormì
    • C) dormii
    • D) dormimmo

  7. What is the noi form of dormire in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) dorma
    • B) dormiate
    • C) dormano
    • D) dormiamo

  8. What is the gerund of dormire?

    • A) dormendo
    • B) dormito
    • C) dormire
    • D) dormo

  9. What is the past participle of dormire?

    • A) dormendo
    • B) dormito
    • C) dormire
    • D) dormo

  10. What does dormire mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to sleep
  • D) to do, to make

Answer key

  1. B) dormi — the correct form is dormi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho dormito — the correct form is ho dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) dormiva — the correct form is dormiva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) dormiremo — the correct form is dormiremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) dormiresti — the correct form is dormiresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) dormii — the correct form is dormii. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) dormiamo — the correct form is dormiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) dormendo — the correct form is dormendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) dormito — the correct form is dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to sleep — the correct form is to sleep. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does dormire mean in English?

dormire means “to sleep”. You use it whenever you talk about to sleep in Italian, in the present, the past and the future.

Is dormire regular or irregular?

dormire is regular. dormire is regular: every form follows the standard -ire endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of dormire?

The gerund is dormendo and the past participle is dormito. The perfect tenses use avere + dormito.

Where can I see the full conjugation of dormire?

On the dormire conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The dormire passato prossimo tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for dormire, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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