Dormir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

dormir — to sleep — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ir verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb of sleeping, and it is completely regular in the verified tables. Notice the eu form durmo against tu dormes: the vowel changes in the first person, and the subjunctive keeps the u throughout — durma, durmas, durma. It is the model verb for the -ir conjugation without a stem change in the plural. On this page you will find dormir 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 dormir conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the dormir pretérito perfeito tense page.

Example sentences with dormir

In the present tense

  • “Eu durmo bem todos os dias.” — “I sleep well”
  • “Tu dormes bem todos os dias.” — “You sleep well”
  • “Ele dorme bem todos os dias.” — “He sleeps well”
  • “Nós dormimos bem todos os dias.” — “We sleep well”
  • “Vós dormis bem todos os dias.” — “You sleep well”
  • “Eles dormem bem todos os dias.” — “They sleep well”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu dormi bem ontem.” — “I slept well”
  • “Tu dormiste bem ontem.” — “You slept well”
  • “Ele dormiu bem ontem.” — “He slept well”
  • “Nós dormimos bem ontem.” — “We slept well”
  • “Vós dormistes bem ontem.” — “You slept well”
  • “Eles dormiram bem ontem.” — “They slept well”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu dormia bem antigamente.” — “I used to sleep well”
  • “Tu dormirás bem amanhã.” — “You will sleep well”
  • “Ele dormiria bem um dia.” — “He would sleep well”
  • “É importante que nós durmamos bem.” — “It is important that we sleep well”
  • “Dorme bem!” — “Sleep well!”

How dormir is used

The first thing to know about dormir is its core meaning: to sleep. It is the verb of sleeping, and it is completely regular in the verified tables. Notice the eu form durmo against tu dormes: the vowel changes in the first person, and the subjunctive keeps the u throughout — durma, durmas, durma. It is the model verb for the -ir conjugation without a stem change in the plural. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, 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 dormir keeps. The present eu form is durmo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho dormido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana 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 dormir does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need durmo, never dormir. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho dormido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle dormido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Dormir in context

Eu durmo bem todos os dias. Tu dormes bem todos os dias. Ele dorme bem todos os dias. Nós dormimos bem todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of dormir is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — durmo, dormes, dorme, dormimos — while the meaning stays the same: to sleep. Eu dormi bem ontem. Tu dormiste bem ontem. Ele dormiu bem ontem. Nós dormimos bem ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of dormir 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: “Eu dormir bem.”

✓ Right: “Eu durmo bem todos os dias.”

The infinitive dormir never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form durmo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu dormes bem.”

✓ Right: “Eu durmo bem todos os dias.”

dormes is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is durmo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu durmo bem ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu dormi bem ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito dormi here, not the present durmo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou dormido bem.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho dormido bem esta semana.”

dormir takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho dormido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. What is the tu form of dormir in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) durmo
    • B) dormes
    • C) dorme
    • D) dormimos

  2. What is the eu form of dormir in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens dormido
    • B) tem dormido
    • C) tenho dormido
    • D) temos dormido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of dormir in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) dormias
    • B) dormíamos
    • C) dormíeis
    • D) dormia

  4. What is the nós form of dormir in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) dormiremos
    • B) dormirei
    • C) dormirás
    • D) dormirá

  5. What is the tu form of dormir in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) dormiria
    • B) dormirias
    • C) dormiríamos
    • D) dormiríeis

  6. What is the eu form of dormir in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) dormiras
    • B) dormíramos
    • C) dormira
    • D) dormíreis

  7. What is the nós form of dormir in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) durma
    • B) durmas
    • C) durmais
    • D) durmamos

  8. What is the gerund of dormir?

    • A) dormindo
    • B) dormido
    • C) dormir
    • D) durmo

  9. What is the past participle of dormir?

    • A) dormindo
    • B) dormido
    • C) dormir
    • D) durmo

  10. What does dormir mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to sleep
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) dormes — the correct form is dormes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho dormido — the correct form is tenho dormido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) dormia — the correct form is dormia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) dormiremos — the correct form is dormiremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) dormirias — the correct form is dormirias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) dormira — the correct form is dormira. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) durmamos — the correct form is durmamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) dormindo — the correct form is dormindo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) dormido — the correct form is dormido. 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 dormir mean in English?

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

Is dormir regular or irregular?

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

What are the gerund and past participle of dormir?

The gerund is dormindo and the past participle is dormido. The perfect tenses use ter + dormido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of dormir?

On the dormir conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The dormir pretérito perfeito 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 dormir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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