Log inSign up

Eu durmo mal.

Eu durmo mal.
I sleep badly.
From Lesson 50:Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Eu durmo mal.

eu
I
dormir
to sleep
mal
badly

Questions & Answers about Eu durmo mal.

Wait, the dictionary form is dormir. Why does it change to a 'u' in durmo?
The verb dormir (to sleep) is slightly irregular in the present tense. When you are talking about yourself (the 'I' form), the letter 'o' changes to a 'u', making it durmo. For most other forms, the 'o' comes back, like in ele dorme (he sleeps).
How would I use this lesson's words like muito (a lot) or pouco (a little) in this sentence?
You can just swap out mal for one of those adverbs of degree. To say 'I sleep a lot', you would say Eu durmo muito. To say 'I sleep a little', you use Eu durmo pouco. Because they are adverbs describing the verb, they follow the exact same rules as mal.
If a group of people is sleeping badly, does mal become plural to match?
No, it stays exactly the same! Because mal is an adverb describing how the action is done, it is invariable. This means it never changes for gender or number. 'They sleep badly' is simply Eles dormem mal.
What is the difference between mal and mau?
Mal is an adverb meaning 'badly' (the opposite of bem, meaning 'well'). It describes actions, like how you sleep in this sentence. Mau is an adjective meaning 'bad' (the opposite of bom, meaning 'good'). You use mau to describe nouns, like a bad dream.

Learn Eu durmo mal and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Portuguese →