Dormire: Full Conjugation | Italian Grammar

Dormire (to sleep) is the textbook pure -ire verb — the kind that doesn't take the -isc- infix that complicates capire, finire, preferire. The pure -ire class is small and closed (a few dozen verbs total), but it contains some of the most frequent verbs in everyday Italian: dormire, sentire, partire, aprire, offrire, soffrire, vestire, servire. Learning dormire gives you the conjugation skeleton for all of them.

Conjugation-wise dormire is clean. The stem dorm- never changes shape, no spelling tricks intrude, the auxiliary is always avere, and every ending is the canonical pure -ire ending: -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ite, -ono. The only thing to internalise is that this is the non-isco pattern — and to know which other -ire verbs follow it (since there's no rule, only a list to memorise).

Dormire descends transparently from Latin dormīre (to sleep), with the same root in dormancy, dormant, dormitory in English, and dormir in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. It's one of those Latin verbs that arrived in Italian almost unchanged — same letters, same stress, same meaning. The semantic field around sleep in Italian is extremely rich: dormire, addormentarsi, svegliarsi, sognare, riposare, sonnecchiare (to doze), appisolarsi (to drop off), fare un pisolino (to take a nap). Italians have a vocabulary for sleep that English lacks the granularity to match.

💡

The pure -ire pattern (dormire, sentire, partire, aprire) is the non-default group within the -ire class. The default — the -isco group (capire, finire, preferire) — is open-ended and productive: any new -ire verb that enters the language takes -isco. The pure -ire group is closed: roughly 40-50 high-frequency verbs that learners must memorise as a list. Dormire is one of the most common members.

Indicativo presente

Person	Form	Pronunciation
io	dormo	/ˈdɔrmo/
tu	dormi	/ˈdɔrmi/
lui / lei / Lei	dorme	/ˈdɔrme/
noi	dormiamo	/dorˈmjamo/
voi	dormite	/dorˈmite/
loro	dormono	/ˈdɔrmono/

A textbook pure -ire present — no -isc- infix anywhere. Stress falls on the stem in the singular and 3pl (DOR-mo, DOR-mi, DOR-me, DOR-mo-no) and shifts to the ending in noi and voi (dor-MIA-mo, dor-MI-te). The vowel of the stressed o is open /ɔ/ in all stem-stressed forms — the same open quality you hear in cosa, scuola, fuori.

The 3pl dormono is the giveaway form: pronounced DOR-mo-no, never dor-MO-no. Italian speakers can hear the difference instantly.

Dormo otto ore a notte, altrimenti non funziono il giorno dopo.

I sleep eight hours a night, otherwise I'm useless the next day.

A che ora dormi di solito? — Verso mezzanotte.

What time do you usually go to sleep? — Around midnight.

Mio figlio dorme ancora con il suo orsetto.

My son still sleeps with his teddy bear.

Stanotte dormiamo dai nonni, è più comodo.

Tonight we're sleeping at our grandparents' — it's easier.

Voi dormite con la finestra aperta anche d'inverno?

Do you sleep with the window open even in winter?

I bambini dormono al primo piano, noi al secondo.

The kids sleep on the first floor, we sleep on the second.

Imperfetto

Person	Form
io	dormivo
tu	dormivi
lui / lei / Lei	dormiva
noi	dormivamo
voi	dormivate
loro	dormivano

Standard -ire imperfetto: stem dorm- + the -iv- marker + person endings. This -ivo / -ivi / -iva / -ivamo / -ivate / -ivano pattern is identical for every -ire verb, pure or -isco. Dormivo, sentivo, partivo, capivo — all the same skeleton.

The imperfetto is the standard tense for past sleep — "I was sleeping when...", "I used to sleep eight hours...". The progressive "was sleeping" sense is its native habitat.

Dormivo profondamente quando hai chiamato, scusami.

I was sleeping deeply when you called — sorry.

Da bambina dormivo sempre con la luce accesa.

As a kid I always slept with the light on.

Mentre dormivamo, è arrivato il temporale e non l'abbiamo sentito.

While we were sleeping, the storm arrived and we didn't hear it.

Passato remoto

Person	Form
io	dormii
tu	dormisti
lui / lei / Lei	dormì
noi	dormimmo
voi	dormiste
loro	dormirono

A textbook regular -ire passato remoto. The 1sg dormii has a doubled i — the verb stem ends in -i and so does the ending, giving the rare-looking -ii. The 3sg dormì carries a mandatory grave accent on the final -ì. Double m in 1pl dormimmo, distinguishing the historical past from anything else in the paradigm.

The passato remoto of dormire appears in literary narrative ("she slept until dawn") and in spoken central/southern Italian. Northerners use the passato prossimo (ho dormito) almost exclusively.

Quella notte dormì come un sasso, sfinito dal viaggio.

That night he slept like a log, exhausted from the journey. (literary)

Dopo l'esame dormimmo per dodici ore di fila.

After the exam we slept for twelve hours straight.

Futuro semplice

Person	Form
io	dormirò
tu	dormirai
lui / lei / Lei	dormirà
noi	dormiremo
voi	dormirete
loro	dormiranno

The future stem of dormire is dormir- — the -ire thematic vowel stays as -i- (unlike -are, where it shifts to -e-). So partire → partirò, sentire → sentirò, dormire → dormirò. The 1sg and 3sg carry the mandatory grave accent: dormirò, dormirà.

Useful for travel-talk: stanotte dormirò in albergo, domani dormiremo in tenda.

Stanotte dormirò in albergo, domani torno a casa.

Tonight I'll sleep at the hotel, tomorrow I'm going home.

Quando avrò finito gli esami, dormirò per una settimana intera.

When I've finished my exams, I'll sleep for a whole week.

In campeggio dormiremo in tenda, speriamo non piova.

At the campsite we'll sleep in a tent — let's hope it doesn't rain.

Condizionale presente

Person	Form
io	dormirei
tu	dormiresti
lui / lei / Lei	dormirebbe
noi	dormiremmo
voi	dormireste
loro	dormirebbero

Same dormir- stem as the future, with the standard conditional endings. The eternal Italian double-m trap: dormiremmo (conditional, double m) vs dormiremo (future, single m).

Dormirei volentieri ancora un'ora, ma devo andare al lavoro.

I'd happily sleep another hour, but I have to go to work.

Dormiremmo di più se i bambini non si svegliassero alle sei.

We'd sleep more if the kids didn't wake up at six.

Congiuntivo presente

Person	Form
(che) io	dorma
(che) tu	dorma
(che) lui / lei	dorma
(che) noi	dormiamo
(che) voi	dormiate
(che) loro	dormano

The pure -ire subjunctive present uses -a- in the singular and 3pl, with the three singulars collapsing into dorma. This is one of the small but consequential differences from the -isco group: the -isco verbs use -isca (capisca), while pure -ire verbs use plain -a (dorma).

The 1pl dormiamo is identical to the indicative; the 2pl dormiate is distinct.

Spero che dorma bene stanotte, ha avuto una giornata pesante.

I hope she sleeps well tonight — she's had a hard day.

È importante che i bambini dormano almeno dieci ore.

It's important that kids sleep at least ten hours.

Sembra strano che dormiate in due in quel letto piccolo.

It seems strange that you two sleep in that small bed.

Congiuntivo imperfetto

Person	Form
(che) io	dormissi
(che) tu	dormissi
(che) lui / lei	dormisse
(che) noi	dormissimo
(che) voi	dormiste
(che) loro	dormissero

Standard -ire subjunctive imperfect: stem dorm- + the -iss- marker + endings. Used in counterfactual se-clauses (se dormissi di più...) and in past-tense subjunctive (pensavo che dormisse...).

Se dormissi otto ore a notte, sarei sempre di buon umore.

If I slept eight hours a night, I'd always be in a good mood.

Pensavo che dormisse ancora, sono entrata in punta di piedi.

I thought she was still asleep, I tiptoed in.

Imperativo

Person	Form
tu	dormi!
Lei (formal)	dorma
noi	dormiamo
voi	dormite
loro (archaic)	dormano

The tu imperative of pure -ire verbs ends in -i: dormi! This is identical to the 2sg present indicative. (Compare -are verbs, where the tu imperative is identical to the 3sg: parla!) Negative tu imperative uses non + infinitive: non dormire! The Lei (formal) imperative borrows the congiuntivo presente: dorma, signora.

The imperative of dormire is heavily used as a goodnight: dormi bene! ("sleep well!"). It's the standard end-of-day wish.

Dormi bene, ci vediamo domani mattina!

Sleep well, see you tomorrow morning!

Non dormire troppo, abbiamo un treno alle sette.

Don't sleep too long, we have a seven o'clock train.

Dorma tranquilla, signora, la sveglio io domani.

Sleep peacefully, ma'am — I'll wake you in the morning.

Dormiamo un'altra mezz'ora, è ancora presto.

Let's sleep another half hour, it's still early.

Forme non finite

Form	Italian
Infinito presente	dormire
Infinito passato	avere dormito / aver dormito
Gerundio presente	dormendo
Gerundio passato	avendo dormito
Participio passato	dormito

The participle dormito is fully regular. The auxiliary is always avere — never essere. Dormire is intransitive but doesn't express motion or state-change, so it stays in the avere camp like parlare, lavorare, ridere.

The gerund dormendo ends in -endo, not -ando — this is the universal pattern for -ire verbs (and -ere verbs): partire → partendo, capire → capendo, scrivere → scrivendo. Only -are verbs use -ando (parlando, mangiando).

Avendo dormito poco, sono di pessimo umore stamattina.

Having slept little, I'm in a terrible mood this morning.

Dormendo solo cinque ore a notte, finirai per ammalarti.

Sleeping only five hours a night, you'll end up getting sick.

Compound tenses

Tense	io	noi
Passato prossimo	ho dormito	abbiamo dormito
Trapassato prossimo	avevo dormito	avevamo dormito
Trapassato remoto	ebbi dormito	avemmo dormito
Futuro anteriore	avrò dormito	avremo dormito
Condizionale passato	avrei dormito	avremmo dormito
Congiuntivo passato	abbia dormito	abbiamo dormito
Congiuntivo trapassato	avessi dormito	avessimo dormito

Stanotte ho dormito malissimo, mi sono svegliato ogni due ore.

Last night I slept terribly — I woke up every two hours.

Se avessi dormito di più, non sarei così nervoso adesso.

If I'd slept more, I wouldn't be so on edge right now.

The reflexive: dormirsi

The reflexive dormirsi exists but is rare and emphatic. It expresses sleeping for one's full enjoyment, indulging in sleep — the dative-of-interest reading that Italian uses with verbs of consumption (mangiarsi una pizza, bersi un caffè). The most common form is mi sono dormito X ore, meaning "I really slept X hours" / "I gave myself X solid hours of sleep."

Mi sono dormito tre ore e mezzo di pisolino, che lusso!

I gave myself a three-and-a-half-hour nap — what a luxury!

Si è dormita una notte intera senza svegliarsi, povera.

She slept a whole night without waking up, poor thing.

This is not the same as the genuinely reflexive addormentarsi ("to fall asleep") and svegliarsi ("to wake up"), which describe the transitions into and out of sleep. Italian has three verbs for the sleep cycle:

addormentarsi — to fall asleep (the entry)
dormire — to sleep (the state)
svegliarsi — to wake up (the exit)

Mi addormento sempre dopo le undici, ma stamattina mi sono svegliato presto.

I always fall asleep after eleven, but this morning I woke up early.

Adverbial collocations: dormire bene / male / poco

Dormire takes a rich set of adverbial modifiers that are fixed phrases in everyday speech.

Italian	Meaning
dormire bene / male	to sleep well / poorly
dormire poco / tanto / a sufficienza	to sleep little / a lot / enough
dormire profondamente	to sleep deeply
dormire fino a tardi	to sleep in, sleep until late
dormire fuori	to spend the night out (away from home)
dormire al sicuro	to sleep safely
dormire in pace	to sleep peacefully (also: to rest in peace)

Dormi bene? — Sì, otto ore filate.

Are you sleeping well? — Yes, eight straight hours.

Domenica voglio dormire fino a tardi, sono distrutta.

On Sunday I want to sleep in — I'm exhausted.

Stanotte dormo fuori, vado da Marco.

I'm not sleeping at home tonight — I'm going to Marco's.

Idioms with dormire

The Italian idiom of sleep is one of the richest in the language — full of vivid animal comparisons and metaphorical extensions.

Italian	Literal	Idiomatic English
dormire come un ghiro	to sleep like a dormouse	to sleep like a log
dormire come un sasso	to sleep like a stone	to sleep like a rock
dormire della grossa	to sleep "the big one"	to sleep deeply / heavily
dormire sugli allori	to sleep on one's laurels	to rest on one's laurels
dormire sonni tranquilli	to sleep peaceful sleeps	to sleep easy / not worry
non dormirci sopra	not to sleep on it	to brood over something / lose sleep
dormirci sopra	to sleep on it	to think about it overnight
dormire in piedi	to sleep on one's feet	to be dead tired
chi dorme non piglia pesci	he who sleeps catches no fish	the early bird catches the worm

Dopo tutte quelle birre ha dormito come un ghiro fino a mezzogiorno.

After all those beers he slept like a log until noon.

Sei già a metà del progetto, ma non dormire sugli allori — il più difficile arriva.

You're halfway through the project, but don't rest on your laurels — the hard part is coming.

Pensaci con calma, dormici sopra e domani decidi.

Think it through calmly, sleep on it, and decide tomorrow.

Sono in piedi da diciotto ore, sto dormendo in piedi.

I've been awake for eighteen hours, I'm dead on my feet.

Adesso che il problema è risolto, dormo sonni tranquilli.

Now that the problem is solved, I can sleep easy.

Common mistakes

❌ Io dormisco otto ore a notte.

Incorrect — dormire is a pure -ire verb. The -isc- infix belongs to the capire/finire group, not to dormire.

✅ Io dormo otto ore a notte.

Correct — pure -ire present: dormo, dormi, dorme, dormiamo, dormite, dormono.

❌ Sono dormito otto ore.

Incorrect — dormire always takes avere, never essere.

✅ Ho dormito otto ore.

Correct — auxiliary avere is invariable for dormire.

❌ I bambini dormòno.

Incorrect — wrong stress on the loro form.

✅ I bambini dormono.

Correct — DOR-mo-no, stress on the root, not on the ending.

❌ Mi dormo tutte le notti otto ore.

Incorrect — basic 'sleeping' uses the non-reflexive dormire. Mi dormo is rare/emphatic, not the default.

✅ Dormo tutte le notti otto ore.

Correct — non-reflexive dormo for the everyday meaning.

❌ Domani dormiro fino a tardi.

Incorrect — the future 1sg requires the grave accent.

✅ Domani dormirò fino a tardi.

Correct — dormirò with mandatory grave accent.

❌ Penso che lui dorme già.

Incorrect — penso che triggers the subjunctive.

✅ Penso che lui dorma già.

Correct — dorma is the congiuntivo presente.

❌ Stanotte sto dormito malissimo.

Incorrect — the present progressive uses stare + gerund, not stare + participle.

✅ Stanotte sto dormendo malissimo. / Stanotte ho dormito malissimo.

Correct — sto dormendo (in progress) or ho dormito (completed).

Key takeaways

Dormire is the canonical pure -ire verb — the model for all -ire verbs that don't take the -isc- infix. The stem dorm- never changes, the endings are textbook, and the auxiliary is always avere.

Five points to internalise:

No -isc- infix. Dormire is in the closed pure-ire group (with sentire, partire, aprire, offrire, soffrire, vestire, servire). The -isco verbs (capire, finire, preferire) follow a different pattern — see capire.
The 3pl is rizotonic: dormono = DOR-mo-no. Mis-stressing this form is the most reliable learner tell.
The thematic vowel stays as -i- in the future and conditional: dormire → dormirò → dormirei. (Compare -are verbs, which shift -a- to -e-: parlare → parlerò.)
Auxiliary is always avere — never essere. Ho dormito, hai dormito, abbiamo dormito.
The sleep-cycle uses three different verbs. Addormentarsi (fall asleep), dormire (sleep), svegliarsi (wake up). Don't conflate them.

For the contrastive -isco pattern, move on to capire. For other pure -ire verbs, see sentire and partire.

Now practice Italian

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Open the Italian course →