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Dopo il lavoro ci si addormentava velocemente.

Dopo il lavoro ci si addormentava velocemente.
After work, one used to fall asleep quickly.
From Lesson 174:Impersonal reflexives (ci si)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Dopo il lavoro ci si addormentava velocemente.

Why do we use ci si here instead of just si?
The verb for "to fall asleep" is reflexive: addormentarsi. Normally, the impersonal form uses si (like "one eats" = si mangia). But if we used si with a reflexive verb, we would end up with si si addormenta. To avoid that awkward double si, Italian changes the first one to ci, creating ci si.
Is addormentava conjugated in the singular or plural?
It is in the third-person singular (he/she/it form). When using the impersonal ci si (meaning "one" or "people in general"), the verb is always conjugated in the third-person singular, just like with the regular impersonal si.
Why is the verb addormentava in the imperfect tense rather than the passato prossimo?
The imperfect tense is used here to describe a recurring habit in the past. The English translation "used to fall asleep" gives this away. If it were a single, specific, completed event, you would use the passato prossimo: ci si è addormentati.
Could I use the verb dormire instead of addormentarsi?
It would change the meaning. Addormentarsi means "to fall asleep," focusing on the action of transitioning to sleep. Dormire just means "to sleep." If you used dormire, the sentence would be Dopo il lavoro si dormiva velocemente (After work, one slept quickly), which sounds a bit strange. Notice that dormire isn't reflexive, so it just uses the normal impersonal si instead of ci si.
How is the adverb velocemente formed?
It is formed by taking the adjective veloce (fast/quick) and adding the suffix -mente, which is the Italian equivalent of the English "-ly". Because veloce ends in an "e", you can attach -mente directly to the end of it.

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