Introduction

Dormire means “to sleep”, and this page covers exactly one thing: dormire in the passato prossimo. The passato prossimo is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full passato prossimo table for dormire, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about dormire in the passato prossimo. 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. For example: “Lui ha dormito bene questa settimana.” — “He has slept well.” Everything on this page uses the forms of dormire exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Dormire in the Passato prossimo — full table

Person Form
io ho dormito
tu hai dormito
lui/lei ha dormito
noi abbiamo dormito
voi avete dormito
loro hanno dormito
Gerund: dormendo · Past participle: dormito
The gerund is dormendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Dormendo bene, imparo molto.” — “While sleeping well, I learn a lot.” The past participle is dormito, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho dormito is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the passato prossimo is only one part of how dormire is used.
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.

How the passato prossimo of dormire is formed

The passato prossimo of dormire is formed with the auxiliary avere in the present plus the past participle dormito: io ho dormito, tu hai dormito, lui ha dormito, noi abbiamo dormito, voi avete dormito, loro hanno dormito. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Two things about the passato prossimo of dormire are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that dormire takes avere, the rest is the present of avere plus one participle, and the same participle serves all four perfect tenses. Second, the passato prossimo is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ieri, questa settimana and l'anno scorso — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

Because the participle dormito never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of dormire is cheap to learn once the auxiliary is fixed. Learn the six auxiliary forms, add the participle, and the whole tense is yours.

When to use the passato prossimo of dormire

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

1. One finished action

The passato prossimo describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Italian. When the action has a clear end, the passato prossimo is the natural choice. Example: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” — “I have slept well.”

2. Recent events

Use the passato prossimo for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Lui ha dormito bene questa settimana.” — “He has slept well.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the passato prossimo. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Noi abbiamo dormito bene questa settimana.” — “We have slept well.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the passato prossimo for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu hai dormito bene questa settimana.” — “You have slept well.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the passato prossimo carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Loro hanno dormito bene questa settimana.” — “They have slept well.”

Passato Prossimo vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the passato prossimo is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the passato prossimo describes one finished action, while the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. 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 passato prossimo sentences use words such as ieri or questa settimana, while the imperfect sentences use una volta or ogni giorno.

  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha dormito bene questa settimana.” — “He has slept well”
  • Imperfect: “Lui dormiva bene una volta.” — “He used to sleep well”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” — “I have slept well”
  • Imperfect: “Io dormivo bene una volta.” — “I used to sleep well”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai dormito bene questa settimana.” — “You have slept well”
  • Imperfect: “Tu dormivi bene una volta.” — “You used to sleep well”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

Example sentences: dormire in the passato prossimo

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 ho dormito bene questa settimana.” — “I have slept well”
  2. “Tu hai dormito bene questa settimana.” — “You have slept well”
  3. “Lui ha dormito bene questa settimana.” — “He has slept well”
  4. “Noi abbiamo dormito bene questa settimana.” — “We have slept well”
  5. “Voi avete dormito bene questa settimana.” — “You have slept well”
  6. “Loro hanno dormito bene questa settimana.” — “They have slept well”
  7. “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” — “I have slept well”
  8. “Lui ha dormito bene questa settimana.” — “He has slept well”

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 sono dormito bene.” Right: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” Why: dormire takes avere in the passato prossimo, not the other auxiliary. The io form is ho dormito — check the auxiliary before you build the tense.
  • Wrong: “Io dormo bene ieri.” Right: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho dormito for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io ho dormendo bene.” Right: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” Why: The passato prossimo needs the past participle dormito, not the gerund dormendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary.
  • Wrong: “Io dormire bene.” Right: “Io ho dormito bene questa settimana.” Why: The infinitive dormire never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After io you need the conjugated passato prossimo form ho dormito.

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 dormire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

  3. What is the lui/lei form of dormire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

  4. What is the noi form of dormire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

  5. What is the voi form of dormire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

  6. What is the loro form of dormire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

  8. What is the tu form of dormire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

Answer key

  1. B) ho dormito — the correct form is ho dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) hai dormito — the correct form is hai dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) ha dormito — the correct form is ha dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) abbiamo dormito — the correct form is abbiamo dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) avete dormito — the correct form is avete dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) hanno dormito — the correct form is hanno dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ho dormito — the correct form is ho dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) hai dormito — the correct form is hai dormito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does dormire mean in English?

dormire means “to sleep”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ire verb.

How is the passato prossimo of dormire formed?

With the auxiliary avere in the present plus the past participle dormito: io ho dormito, tu hai dormito, lui ha dormito, noi abbiamo dormito, voi avete dormito, loro hanno dormito.

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

Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. Use the imperfect for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

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.

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