Dormir Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson and PDF

Sleep is a basic human need, and to talk about rest and sleep in Spanish, you’ll need to learn the dormir conjugation! 

Dormir is a Spanish verb that means “to sleep.” Its less-common translations are “to rest,” “to slumber,” and “to repose.” 

Dormir conjugation is irregular. It is a stem-changing verb, in which the –o- in the stem often changes to either –u- or –ue-. 

Some frequently used phrases with dormir include ir a dormir (“to go to bed”), 

hora de dormir (“bedtime”), and dormir bien (“sleep well”).

Today, we’ll learn dormir conjugation in multiple forms, encompassing three moods:

• indicative mood (present, past, conditional, and future)
• the subjunctive mood (present and past)
• and the imperative mood. 

Let’s learn how this sleepy Spanish verb works!

Hand-picked for you: It’s Bedtime! Say ‘Goodnight’ in Spanish and 40+ Sleepy Phrases

The Ultimate Guide to Dormir Conjugation

Since this is a complete guide to dormir conjugation, you may not be familiar with all the tenses and forms shown. Try out your newfound dormir conjugation skills using some practice exercises later in this blog post!

Dormir Conjugation: Verbals

For these dormir conjugations, there are two forms of dormir that you need to learn.

1. Conjugation of haber + past participle of dormir
2. Conjugation of estar + gerund form of dormir

The infinitive form of the verb is dormir.
The past participle of dormir is dormido.

The gerund form of dormir is durmiendo.

These compound tenses involve using the helping dormirbs haber and estar. The conjugation changes in these tenses happen in the helping verb, while the form of dormir stays the same. 

Let’s see them in action.

Me gusta dormir en mi propia cama después de un viaje.
I like to sleep in my own bed after a trip.

Margarita está durmiendo de momento. 
Margaret is sleeping at the moment.

El perro está durmiendo debajo de la mesa.
The dog is sleeping under the table.

Dormir Conjugation: Indicative Mood

Dormir is a common Spanish verb, and the indicative mood is the one most commonly used in Spanish. 

In the present tense, dormir has a stem change (from o to ue) in all but the nosotros form. 

Present simple

¿Duermes bien?
Do you sleep well?

Yo duermo ocho horas casi todas las noches.
I sleep for eight hours almost every night.

En nuestra casa, usualmente dormimos a las 9 de la noche.
At our house, we usually go to sleep at 9 p.m.

Past Simple

In the preterite, dormir conjugation has stem change (from o to u) in the third-person singular and third-person plural forms. All the other forms conjugate regularly. 

La señora durmió. 
The woman slept.

Victoria y María durmieron en el hostal. 
VIctoria and María slept at the hostel.

¿Cómo dormiste?
How did you sleep?

Past Imperfect

Note that there is not a stem change in the imperfect or future forms. Dormir conjugation is regular in these tenses.

Mi tío dormía y roncaba después del almuerzo. 
My uncle used to sleep and snore after lunch.

¿Dormían ustedes en clase? 
Did you all used to sleep in class?

Dormíamos en hamacas cuando vivíamos en la isla.
We used to sleep in hammocks when we lived on the island.

Future Simple

¿Dormirán ellos en la carpa? 
Will they sleep in the tent?

Dormiremos en la cabina. 
We will sleep in the cabin.

Dormiré profundamente después de la carrera.
I will sleep deeply after the race.

Conditional

Yo dormiría en esta habitación si pudiera. 
I would sleep in this room if I could. 

Ellas dormirían hasta el mediodía después de ver películas toda la noche.
They would sleep until noon after watching movies all night.

Dormir Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood

We use the subjunctive mood to talk about hypotheses, hopes, wishes, or uncertainty.

Present Subjunctive

Nos quedaremos hasta que se duerma el bebé. 
We will stay until the baby goes to sleep.

Calmemos a los niños para que se duerman.
Let’s calm down the children so they go to sleep.

Mi amiga quiere que nosotros durmamos en la playa. 
My friend wants us to sleep on the beach.

Past Subjunctive

Más valdría que Laura durmiera un poco.
It would be better for Laura to sleep a while.

Les había propuesto que durmieran en la habitación más grande. 
I had proposed to them that they sleep in the bigger room.

Two other subjunctive tenses exist: future and past perfect. The future subjunctive is rarely used, and the past subjunctive tense in the table above is the more common of the two. 

Dormir Conjugation: Imperative Mood

We use the imperative mood to give orders or commands. 

Now, it’s time to practice what we’ve covered!

Dormir Conjugation Exercises

To test with your newfound knowledge of dormir conjugation, practice using the following exercises! You can check your work with the answer key below.

Exercise 1

Identify the tense and pronoun of each dormir conjugation.

1. Durmió

2. Dormirán

3. Duermes

4. Dormirían

5. Duerma

Exercise 2

Conjugate dormir in the tense given.

1. Usted – present

2. Ellas – past imperfect

3. Tú – conditional

4. Nosotros – future

5. Yo – past simple (preterite)

Exercise 3

Fill in the blank with the correct form of dormir.

1. Nosotros _____________ a las 8:30. (present simple)

2. Ella ya ha _____________ por tres horas. (past participle)

3. Quiero que nosotros _____________ temprano. (present subjunctive)

4. Tú _____________ en la habitación de lujo. (future)

5. Él solo _____________ durante el día y estaba despierto todas las noches. (imperfect)

Exercise 4

Translate the following sentences to English.

1. ¿Dormiste en el sofá anoche? 

2. Mañana dormiré en la selva.

3. Nosotros estábamos durmiendo cuando empezó la tormenta. 

4. No puedo dormir porque hay demasiado ruido.

5. ¿Has dormido en el nuevo colchón? 

Click here to check your answers

You Can Speak Spanish!

¡Felicidades! You’ve learned about dormir conjugation in Spanish and uses of the verb dormir. To continue practicing, try a free trial class with our friendly, native Spanish-speaking teachers. You can ask them about when to use each dormir conjugation and how to best learn Spanish. Enhance your Spanish skills by engaging in real-life conversation. 

Ready to learn more Spanish grammar and vocabulary? Check these out!

• All About Adverbial Clauses in Spanish
• Top 20 Guatemalan Words and Slang Expressions You Should Know
• The Ultimate Guide to the Differences Between ‘Pero’ and ‘Sino’ in Spanish
• A Guide to Double Negatives in Spanish
• Ver Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Exercises, and PDF
• Common Irregular Informal Commands in Spanish
• Dialect vs Accent: Is It a Language, Dialect, or Accent?
• Bien vs Bueno: How Good is Your Spanish?

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1: ella/él – past simple, 2: ellos/ustedes – future, 3: tú – present simple, 4: ellos/ustedes – conditional, 5: yo/ella/él – present subjunctive

Exercise 2

1: duerme, 2: dormían, 3: dormirías, 4: dormiremos, 5: dormí

Exercise 3

1: dormimos, 2: dormido, 3: durmamos, 4: dormirás, 5: dormía

Exercise 4 

1: Did you sleep on the couch last night? 2: Tomorrow I will sleep in the jungle. 3: We were sleeping when the storm started. 4: I can’t sleep because there is too much noise. 5: Have you slept on the new mattress?

• Author
• Recent Posts

Follow on FB

Michelle Margaret Fajkus

Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.

Follow on FB

Latest posts by Michelle Margaret Fajkus (see all)

• Ver Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Exercises, and PDF - December 5, 2024
• What Are the Different Levels of Language Proficiency? - October 17, 2024
• Master All the Forms of Ser in Spanish: Your Ultimate Grammar Guide - July 18, 2024