dormir
/doɾˈmiɾ/
To sleep in Spanish is dormir. Wiktionary also lists jatear and sornar.
Meaning: to rest in state of reduced consciousness (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dormir | /doɾˈmiɾ/ | |
| jatear | /xateˈaɾ/ | |
| sornar | /soɾˈnaɾ/ | slang |
The primary way to express the act of resting in a state of reduced consciousness is with the verb dormir. If you want to specifically say you are taking a nap, you can use the phrase echarse una siesta.
Which one should you use?
While dormir refers to the actual act of sleeping, if you want to describe the feeling of being sleepy, you should use the phrase tener sueño.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb dormir is an o-to-ue stem-changing verb in the present tense, which means the 'o' changes to 'ue' in certain forms, such as duermo for 'I sleep' and duerme for 'he/she sleeps'.
How do you pronounce it?
/doɾˈmiɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying estoy durmiendo when you want to say you are currently in the state of being asleep. Instead, use estoy dormido to describe that state.
Did you know?
- The phrase echarse una siesta uses the verb echar, which means 'to throw', essentially describing the act of 'throwing oneself' into a nap.
- The English word 'dormitory' and the Spanish verb dormir share the same ancient root, tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European word *drem-, which meant 'to sleep'.
- Spanish has a specific distinction between dormir (the act of sleeping) and quedarse dormido (to accidentally fall asleep).
Examples in context
- Me voy a dormir.I'm going to sleep.This sentence is useful for expressing the intention to go to sleep using dormir.Tatoeba #3252729 by Shishir, translation #1629771 by Spamster
- Voy a dormir acá.I'll sleep here.This sentence is useful for stating a location for where you will dormir.Tatoeba #2474752 by hayastan, translation #2247809 by CK
- Deja dormir a Tom.Let Tom sleep.This sentence is useful for requesting that someone is not disturbed while they dormir.Tatoeba #2625299 by Shishir, translation #2235859 by CK
- Asegúrate de dormir lo suficiente cada noche.Make sure to get enough sleep every night.
- Ayer me dormí tarde viendo una película interesante.Yesterday, I fell asleep late while watching an interesting movie.
- Después de comer, siempre me echo una siesta para recargar energías.After lunch, I always take a nap to recharge.
- Anoche no pude pegar un ojo pensando en el examen de mañana.Last night, I couldn't sleep a wink thinking about tomorrow's exam.
- Yo duermo bien todas las noches.I sleep well every night.
- 482 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are at home during a quiet afternoon.
- MateoMaría, ¿quieres dormir un poco?María, do you want to sleep a little?
- MaríaSí, necesito dormir para descansar.Yes, I need to sleep to rest.
- MateoEstá bien, yo dormiré en el sofá.That's fine, I will sleep on the sofa.
- MaríaQue duermas bien, Mateo.Sleep well, Mateo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleep” translations and entries dormir, jatear, sornar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dormir, sornar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
