Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| andare a letto | /anˈda.re a ˈlɛt.to/ (word by word) |
| coricarsi | /ko.riˈkar.si/ |
| andare a dormire | /anˈda.re a dorˈmi.re/ (word by word) |
The phrase is used to describe the act of going to bed to lie down for sleep. While andare a letto is the most common way to express this, you may also use andare a dormire if you want to focus specifically on the act of sleeping itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase andare a letto is composed of the verb andare (to go) and the noun letto (bed).
Which one should you use?
Andare a letto literally means 'to go to bed', whereas andare a dormire focuses on the intention to sleep. For a more formal or literary sense of 'to lie down' or 'to retire to bed', you can use coricarsi.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase andare a letto uses the preposition a to indicate the destination or purpose of the movement. When addressing a group, andate a dormire is used to mean 'you all go to sleep' and andiamo a letto is used for 'let's go to bed'.
How do you pronounce it?
/anˈda.re a ˈlɛt.to/
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word letto can also mean 'read' as the past participle of leggere, creating a homonym between 'bed' and the act of reading.
- The verb andare is an example of suppletion, meaning it uses different root words to form its conjugation, drawing from both Early Medieval Latin andāre and vādō.
Examples in context
- Devo andare a letto.I have to go to bed.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal necessity to go to bed using andare a letto.Tatoeba #710679 by Guybrush88, translation #1395 by brauliobezerra
- Devi andare a letto.You must go to bed.This sentence shows how to state a necessity for another person to go to bed using andare a letto.Tatoeba #9918740 by Guybrush88, translation #8332981 by CM
- Posso andare a letto?May I go to bed?This sentence is a way to ask permission to go to bed using andare a letto.Tatoeba #906040 by Guybrush88, translation #268887 by CK
- 127 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Lorenzo are talking at home late at night.
- MartinaLorenzo, sei molto stanco.Lorenzo, you are very tired.
- LorenzoSì, vorrei andare a letto.Yes, I would like to go to bed.
- MartinaVa bene, vado anche io a letto.Alright, I am going to bed too.
- LorenzoBuonanotte, Martina.Goodnight, Martina.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “go to bed” translations and entries andare a letto, coricarsi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (andare, a, letto, dormire) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, andare, dormire, letto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
