¿cómo dormiste?
How did you sleep is translated into Spanish as ¿cómo dormiste?
This phrase is used as a question to ask someone about the quality of their sleep after they have woken up.
Which one should you use?
While ¿cómo dormiste? is a standard way to ask how someone slept, you may also use ¿Qué tal dormiste? or ¿Descansaste bien? to ask similar questions informally. In formal contexts, you can use ¿Cómo durmió?, ¿Cómo descansó? or ¿Tuvo un buen descanso? to ask how someone slept or rested.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can use ¿Cómo amaneciste? to ask how someone slept. In Spain, you can use ¿Has dormido bien? or ¿Qué tal has descansado? to ask the same question.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form ¿cómo dormiste? uses the informal singular 'tú' conjugation. To ask more than one person how they slept, use the plural form ¿cómo durmieron?
When do people say it?
A common natural response to this question is Muy bien, ¿y tú? (Very well and you?).
Did you know?
- In Mexico, asking ¿Cómo amaneciste? is a common way to check on someone, but it literally translates to 'How did you dawn?'
- The word cómo is a descendant of the Latin 'quōmodo', which is the root of the English word 'commodity' in its original sense of 'manner' or 'way'.
- A person who sleeps a lot or is very lazy is sometimes called a dormilón or dormilona, turning the verb in ¿cómo dormiste? into a personality trait.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, señor García. ¿Cómo descansó anoche?Good morning, Mr. García. How did you sleep last night?
- ¡Hey, Juan! ¿Qué tal dormiste?Hey, Juan! How did you sleep?
- Señora Ramírez, ¿tuvo un buen descanso?Mrs. Ramírez, did you have a good rest?
- Hola, ¿cómo dormiste?Hello, how did you sleep?
Example conversation
A couple is having breakfast in their kitchen.
- DanielBuenos días, María. ¿Cómo dormiste?Good morning, María. How did you sleep?
- MaríaMuy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú, Daniel?Very well, thank you. And you, Daniel?
- DanielDormí bastante bien.I slept quite well.
- MaríaQué bueno.That's good.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
