Tu dors ?
The English phrase "are you sleeping?" is translated into French as Tu dors ?
This phrase is used to ask if someone is currently in the state of being asleep.
Which one should you use?
While English uses the continuous aspect ("are sleeping") to describe the action, French uses the simple present tense to express this ongoing state.
How does it change in a sentence?
The informal form Tu dors ? uses the singular pronoun tu to address one person. The formal form Vous dormez ? is used for addressing a group or a single person in a formal manner.
Did you know?
- In many French households, if a parent asks Tu dors ? to a child, they are often checking if the child is actually awake and pretending to be asleep.
- The phrase Frère Jacques, the French version of the nursery rhyme 'Are You Sleeping?', is so globally famous that many non-French speakers know the words dormez-vous without knowing they are speaking French.
- While Tu dors ? asks if someone is asleep, the expression dormir sur ses deux oreilles means to sleep soundly or be completely confident about a situation.
Examples in context
- Dis-moi, tu dors ?Tell me, are you sleeping?
Example conversation
Manon enters the dark bedroom to check on Gabriel.
- ManonTu dors ?Are you sleeping?
- GabrielNon, je t'entends.No, I hear you.
- ManonDésolée, Gabriel.Sorry, Gabriel.
- GabrielCe n'est rien.It's nothing.
