French Verb Focus: Dormir (To Sleep)

Dormir, to sleep, is an irregular verb but not a very difficult one to learn. It can be used in several colloquial expressions similar to our English ones: to sleep soundly, to sleep like a baby, and so on, but these are not literal translations of the English equivalents. I have included some of them in sentences.

PRESENT TENSE

Je dors – I sleep, I am sleeping
Tu dors – you sleep, you are sleeping (singular, familiar)
Il dort – he/it sleeps, he/it is sleeping
Elle dort – she/it sleeps, she/it is sleeping
Nous dormons – we sleep, we are sleeping
Vous dormez – you sleep, you are sleeping (polite, plural)
Ils dorment – they sleep, they are sleeping (m.)
Elles dorment – they sleep, they are sleeping (f.)

PERFECT TENSE (PASSE COMPOSE)

J’ai dormi – I have slept, I slept, I did sleep
Tu as dormi – you have slept, you slept, you did sleep
Il a dormi – he/it has slept, he/it slept, he did sleep
Elle a dormi – she/it has slept, she/it slept, she did sleep
Nous avons dormi – we have slept, we slept, we did sleep
Vous avez dormi – you have slept, you slept, you did sleep
Ils ont dormi – they have slept, they slept, they did sleep
Elles ont dormi – they have slept, they slept, they did sleep

FUTURE TENSE

Je dormirai debout. – I won’t be able to keep my eyes open.
Tu n’en dormiras pas. – You will be losing sleep over it.
Il dormira sur ses deux oreilles. – He will sleep very soundly.
Elle dormira tranquille. – She will sleep safely.
Nous ne dormirons pas de la nuit.– We won’t sleep all night.
Vous dormirez comme un bienheureux. – You will sleep like a baby.
Ils dormiront à poings fermés. – They will sleep soundly.
Elles dormiront tard demain. – They will sleep in tomorrow.

IMPERFECT TENSE

Je dormais quand tu es rentré. – I was sleeping when you came home.

CONDITIONAL TENSE

Je dormirais tard si je ne devais pas travailler. – I would sleep in if I didn’t have to work.

IMPERATIVE

dors – sleep (tu form)
dormons – let’s sleep
dormez – sleep (vous form)

SUBJUNCTIVE

Il faut que je dorme. – I must sleep.

With thanks to Elizabeth Allen