dors bien
To say "have a good sleep" in French, use dors bien.
The phrase is used to wish someone a restful night of sleep.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase dors bien literally means "sleep well".
Which one should you use?
While dors bien focuses on the act of sleeping, bonne nuit is a more common and standard way to simply say "good night". If you wish to wish someone beautiful dreams, you can use the informal expression Fais de beaux rêves or if you want to tell them to rest well, you can use the informal Repose-toi bien.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
dors bien is an informal phrase. For formal situations, or when speaking to more than one person, you should use Dormez bien to say "sleep well" or Passez une bonne nuit to say "have a good night".
How does it change in a sentence?
When speaking to more than one person or when using the formal vous form, use dormez bien instead of dors bien.
Did you know?
- To describe a very deep sleep, French speakers use the phrase dormir comme un loir, which means 'to sleep like a dormouse'.
- If you want to sound more affectionate when saying dors bien to a child, you might add mon petit chat, meaning 'my little cat'.
- The word dors comes from the verb dormir, which shares a root with the English word 'dormitory', a place specifically designed for sleeping.
Examples in context
- Dors bien, mon chéri.Have a good sleep, my darling.
- Bonne nuit et dors bien.Good night and have a good sleep.
- Dors bien, on se voit demain.Have a good sleep, see you tomorrow.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are saying goodnight before going to their separate rooms.
- ManonJe vais me coucher maintenant.I am going to bed now.
- GabrielD'accord, dors bien, Manon.Okay, have a good sleep, Manon.
- ManonMerci, dors bien aussi, Gabriel.Thanks, have a good sleep too, Gabriel.
- GabrielMerci, à demain.Thanks, see you tomorrow.
