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Elles ont déjà sommeil.

Elles ont déjà sommeil.
They are already sleepy.
From Lesson 30:Age and physical states (avoir)·French

Questions & Answers about Elles ont déjà sommeil.

Why does the French sentence use ont (have) instead of sont (are)?
In French, you use the verb avoir (to have) for certain physical states where English uses the verb to be. Instead of saying they are sleepy, French speakers literally say they have sleep (elles ont sommeil). This is the exact same pattern as avoir faim (to be hungry) or avoir soif (to be thirsty).
Since Elles is plural, why doesn't sommeil have an 's' at the end?
In the expression avoir sommeil, the word sommeil is a noun meaning sleep, not an adjective. Because it is a noun representing a general concept, it doesn't become plural just because the subject is plural. You are simply saying that the group 'has sleep'.
Where should I put a word like déjà (already) in a sentence like this?
Short words that describe time or frequency, like déjà, usually go right after the conjugated verb. In this sentence, it is placed directly after the verb ont and before sommeil.
Can I just say Elles sont fatiguées to mean the same thing?
They are similar but not exactly the same! Avoir sommeil specifically means you are sleepy and ready for bed. Être fatigué means you are tired or exhausted in general. Notice that fatigué acts like a normal adjective, so it uses être (to be) and changes its ending to match the feminine plural subject (elles sont fatiguées).

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