Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| спать | spatʹ | [spatʲ] (narrow) | imperfective |
| поспа́ть | pospátʹ | perfective |
The Russian verb for sleeping refers to resting in a state of reduced consciousness. While спать is the general term for the action, the word Засыпать is used specifically to describe the act of falling asleep.
Which one should you use?
The imperfective form спать is used to describe the ongoing process of sleeping or a habitual action. In contrast, the perfective form поспать often implies sleeping for a limited duration or completing a short period of sleep.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present tense, the first-person singular form of спать is сплю (I sleep/am sleeping) and the third-person plural form is спят (they sleep/are sleeping).
How do you pronounce it?
spatʹ
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse the verb спать (to sleep) with the noun сон (sleep/dream). Use the verb when describing the action of sleeping and the noun when referring to the concept of sleep or a dream.
Did you know?
- The Russian phrase for 'I cannot sleep' is often structured as мне не спится, which literally translates to 'it is not sleeping to me'.
- To describe someone who is a 'heavy sleeper', Russians use the word крепкий, which literally means 'strong' or 'firm'.
- The Russian verb спать is a distant relative of the English words 'soporific', 'hypnosis' and 'somnolent'.
Examples in context
- Я не мог спать.I couldn't sleep.This sentence shows how to express an inability to sleep in the past using спать.Tatoeba #5692565 by marafon, translation #322736 by CK
- Я не могу спать.I cannot sleep.This sentence shows how to express an inability to sleep in the present using спать.Tatoeba #9621514 by Balamax, translation #6811396 by Ergulis
- Он не мог спать.He was unable to sleep.Tatoeba #13621306 by marafon, translation #13905787 by zogwarg
- Вы должны спать достаточноYou should sleep enough.
- Лучше всего засыпать раноIt's best to fall asleep early.
- 540 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Alexander are talking in the morning.
- Екатерина EkaterinaТы хочешь спать?Ty khochesh' spat'?Do you want to sleep?
- Александр AleksandrДа, я очень хочу спать.Da, ya ochen' khochu spat'.Yes, I really want to sleep.
- Екатерина EkaterinaПочему ты не мог спать ночью?Pochemu ty ne mog spat' noch'yu?Why couldn't you sleep at night?
- Александр AleksandrВ комнате было слишком жарко.V komnate bylo slishkom zharko.It was too hot in the room.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleep” translations and entries спать, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries спать, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
