Dormirse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb dormirse means to fall asleep, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Dormirse means to fall asleep, and it is used for drifting off in bed, on the sofa, in class or on a train. It is a stem-changing verb, o to ue in the present and o to u in the preterite third person and the gerund, so it is one of the trickier reflexive verbs in this batch. Like every Spanish verb, dormirse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me duermo temprano en la cama, and in the preterite you say me dormí con el libro en la mano. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: dormirse
  • English: to fall asleep
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive, stem-changing (o → ue)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: durmiendo
  • Past participle: dormido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + dormido)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.
  • Stem change: o → ue in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for dormirse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Dormirse changes o to ue in the present (me duermo) and o to u in the preterite third person (se durmió) and the gerund (durmiendo).

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for dormirse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me duermo
tú te duermes
él/ella/Ud. se duerme
nosotros/as nos dormimos
vosotros/as os dormís
ellos/ellas/Uds. se duermen

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me dormí
tú te dormiste
él/ella/Ud. se durmió
nosotros/as nos dormimos
vosotros/as os dormisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se durmieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me dormía
tú te dormías
él/ella/Ud. se dormía
nosotros/as nos dormíamos
vosotros/as os dormíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se dormían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me dormiré
tú te dormirás
él/ella/Ud. se dormirá
nosotros/as nos dormiremos
vosotros/as os dormiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se dormirán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me dormiría
tú te dormirías
él/ella/Ud. se dormiría
nosotros/as nos dormiríamos
vosotros/as os dormiríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se dormirían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he dormido
tú te has dormido
él/ella/Ud. se ha dormido
nosotros/as nos hemos dormido
vosotros/as os habéis dormido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han dormido

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había dormido
tú te habías dormido
él/ella/Ud. se había dormido
nosotros/as nos habíamos dormido
vosotros/as os habíais dormido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían dormido

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré dormido
tú te habrás dormido
él/ella/Ud. se habrá dormido
nosotros/as nos habremos dormido
vosotros/as os habréis dormido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán dormido

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría dormido
tú te habrías dormido
él/ella/Ud. se habría dormido
nosotros/as nos habríamos dormido
vosotros/as os habríais dormido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían dormido

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me duerma
tú te duermas
él/ella/Ud. se duerma
nosotros/as nos durmamos
vosotros/as os durmáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se duerman

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me durmiera
tú te durmieras
él/ella/Ud. se durmiera
nosotros/as nos durmiéramos
vosotros/as os durmierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se durmieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te duerme
él/ella/Ud. se duerma
nosotros/as nos durmamos
vosotros/as os dormid
ellos/ellas/Uds. se duerman

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te duermas
él/ella/Ud. se duerma
nosotros/as nos durmamos
vosotros/as os durmáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se duerman

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund durmiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy durmiendo (or me estoy durmiendo for this reflexive verb)
Past participle dormido with haber for the perfect tenses: he dormido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For dormirse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me duermo temprano en la cama. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem vowel changes in the third-person forms, as in durmió, and in the gerund (durmiendo). Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For dormirse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me dormí en el sofá después de comer. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For dormirse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me dormía con el libro en la mano. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For dormirse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me dormiré a las diez en punto. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For dormirse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me dormiría temprano en la cama si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For dormirse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he dormido en el sofá después de comer. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For dormirse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había dormido con el libro en la mano antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For dormirse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré dormido a las diez en punto. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For dormirse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría dormido temprano en la cama con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For dormirse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se duerma en el sofá después de comer. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem vowel changes in the third-person forms, as in durmiera, and in the gerund (durmiendo). Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. For dormirse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se durmiera con el libro en la mano, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For dormirse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se duerma a las diez en punto. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes o → ue in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For dormirse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te duermas temprano en la cama. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with dormirse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me duermo temprano en la cama. — I fall asleep early in bed.
  2. Se duerme en el sofá después de comer. — He/she falls asleep on the sofa after lunch.
  3. Ayer, me dormí con el libro en la mano. — Yesterday, I fell asleep with the book in my hand.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos dormíamos a las diez en punto. — Before, we used to fall asleep at ten o'clock sharp.
  5. Mañana, tú te dormirás temprano en la cama. — Tomorrow, you will fall asleep early in bed.
  6. Yo me dormiría en el sofá después de comer si tuviera más tiempo. — I would fall asleep on the sofa after lunch if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha dormido con el libro en la mano. — He has fallen asleep with the book in my hand.
  8. Espero que él se duerma a las diez en punto. — I hope he falls asleep at ten o'clock sharp.
  9. Yo ya me había dormido temprano en la cama antes de salir. — I had already fallen asleep early in bed before leaving.
  10. Ellos se dormían en el sofá después de comer cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to fall asleep on the sofa after lunch when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo duermo temprano en la cama. — Right: Yo me duermo temprano en la cama. — Dormirse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Yo dormo en el sofá después de comer. — Right: Yo duermo en el sofá después de comer. — Dormirse is a stem-changing verb (o → ue), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
  3. Wrong: Treating dormirse and despertarse as identical in every context. — Right: Dormirse means to fall asleep, while despertarse means to wake up. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: dormirse fits sentences such as Me duermo temprano en la cama, while despertarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy dormido en el sofá después de comer. — Right: Yo he dormido en el sofá después de comer. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he dormido, has dormido, ha dormido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo dormí con el libro en la mano todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo dormía con el libro en la mano todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (dormía), not the preterite. The preterite (dormí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on dormirse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ temprano en la cama. (present tense) A. me duermo B. te duermes C. se duerme D. nos dormimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el sofá después de comer. (preterite) A. me dormí B. te dormiste C. se durmieron D. se durmió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con el libro en la mano. (imperfect) A. te dormías B. se dormían C. nos dormíamos D. me dormía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a las diez en punto. (future) A. nos dormiremos B. te dormirás C. me dormiré D. se dormirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ temprano en la cama si pudiera. (conditional) A. me dormiría B. te dormirías C. se dormiría D. se dormirían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el sofá después de comer. (present subjunctive) A. me duerma B. te duermas C. nos durmamos D. se duerma

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con el libro en la mano, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se durmiera B. nos durmiéramos C. me durmiera D. te durmieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a las diez en punto. (present perfect) A. se han dormido B. nos hemos dormido C. me he dormido D. te has dormido

  9. Complete the command: No ___ temprano en la cama. (negative imperative, tú) A. te duermas B. se duerma C. nos durmamos D. os durmáis

  10. Which is the gerund of dormirse, used with estar for the progressive? A. dormido B. duermo C. dormí D. durmiendo

Answer key

  1. me duermo — The first-person present of dormirse is me duermo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se durmió — The third-person preterite of dormirse is se durmió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos dormíamos — The nosotros imperfect of dormirse is nos dormíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te dormirás — The second-person future of dormirse is te dormirás.
  5. me dormiría — The first-person conditional of dormirse is me dormiría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se duerma — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of dormirse is se duerma.
  7. me durmiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of dormirse is me durmiera.
  8. nos hemos dormido — The nosotros present perfect of dormirse is nos hemos dormido: hemos + dormido.
  9. te duermas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te duermas.
  10. durmiendo — The gerund of dormirse is durmiendo: estoy durmiendo. The participle dormido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does dormirse mean in English?

Dormirse means to fall asleep. It is used in everyday situations such as Me duermo temprano en la cama. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is dormirse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Dormirse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me duermo temprano en la cama and él se duerme en el sofá después de comer. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between dormirse and despertarse?

Dormirse means to fall asleep, while despertarse means to wake up. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use dormirse when you mean to fall asleep, as in Me duermo temprano en la cama, and use despertarse for to wake up. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I fall asleep” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me dormí en el sofá después de comer. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me dormía con el libro en la mano. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he dormido en el sofá después de comer.

How do I practise dormirse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the dormirse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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