Il gatto dorme.

The cat sleeps.

Breakdown of Il gatto dorme.

• il gatto: the cat
• dormire: to sleep

Questions & Answers about Il gatto dorme.

Why is the article il used with gatto instead of something else?

In Italian, il is the masculine singular definite article. Since gatto is a masculine singular noun, it naturally pairs with il to mean the cat. If we were talking about a female cat, we might choose la gatta instead.

Is gatto singular or plural?

Gatto is singular. The plural form would be gatti, meaning cats instead of cat.

Why do we say dorme instead of dormo or dormi?

All these forms come from the verb dormire (to sleep).
• Dormo = I sleep (io dormo)
• Dormi = you sleep (tu dormi)
• Dorme = he/she/it sleeps (lui/lei dorme)

Here, il gatto is a third-person singular noun (he/she/it), so we use dorme.

Is dorme in the present tense?

Yes, dorme is the third-person singular present indicative form of dormire. It expresses a current, ongoing action: the cat sleeps (or the cat is sleeping in English).

Why not say Il gatto sta dormendo?

Il gatto sta dormendo (the cat is sleeping) uses the present continuous tense and emphasizes that sleeping is happening right at this moment. Il gatto dorme is a simple present and can imply a general habit or an action happening now, depending on context. Both are correct, but sta dormendo is more explicitly a continuous action at the moment of speaking.