How to Say “Sleep” in Spanish
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The two core words are sueño and dormir. Sueño is a noun that can mean “sleep” or “dream”; dormir is the verb “to sleep”. To say “I’m sleepy”, use tengo sueño. To say “I like sleeping”, use me gusta dormir.
This guide separates forms that look similar, labels tú/usted/vosotros/ustedes register, and gives you a short practice model. Regional usage varies, so save the country and speaker with any expression you collect.
If you want a clear structure for putting your Spanish into practice, take a look at the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp. It’s a 90-day programme with weekly coaching calls, a private community and a focus on speaking from day one.
How to Say “Sleep” in Spanish: Sueño
Sueño can mean sleep or dream. Context normally separates them: tengo sueño means “I’m sleepy”, while tuve un sueño means “I had a dream”. Do not use emphasis on un as a rule for “very sleepy”; say tengo mucho sueño.
How to Say “To Sleep” in Spanish: Dormir
Dormir is a stem-changing verb in several forms. Learn a complete sentence with each form, not the table alone.
Subject Pronouns Used in the Tables
Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already identifies the person. Use a pronoun for clarity or contrast. The main regional choice is whether your variety uses tú, vos, vosotros/as or ustedes.
Dormir: Present Indicative
| Person | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | duermo | Duermo ocho horas. |
| tú | duermes | ¿Duermes bien? |
| vos | dormís | ¿Dormís bien? |
| él/ella/usted | duerme | Ella duerme. |
| nosotros/as | dormimos | Dormimos aquí. |
| vosotros/as | dormís | Dormís aquí. |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | duermen | Duermen temprano. |
Dormir: Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dormí |
| tú/vos | dormiste |
| él/ella/usted | durmió |
| nosotros/as | dormimos |
| vosotros/as | dormisteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | durmieron |
Pronoun and Register Quick Reference
- tú: informal singular in many regions.
- vos: informal singular in many parts of Latin America; its verb forms vary by region.
- usted: singular respectful/formal address; social use varies.
- vosotros/as: informal plural, mainly in Spain.
- ustedes: plural address throughout Latin America and formal/respectful plural in Spain.
Choose one regional model for production, but learn to recognise the others. Avoid “forget vos” or “leave vosotros behind”: people, media and travel cross borders.
How to Say “To Fall Asleep” in Spanish: Dormirse
Dormirse commonly means “to fall asleep”. Add the reflexive pronoun and conjugate the verb: me dormí (“I fell asleep”), se durmió (“he/she fell asleep”). Quedarse dormido/a also means to fall asleep, often with the sense that it happened unintentionally: me quedé dormida en el sofá.
How to Say “I’m Sleepy” in Spanish: Tengo sueño
- Tengo sueño. – “I’m sleepy.”
- Tengo mucho sueño. – “I’m very sleepy.”
- No tengo sueño. – “I’m not sleepy.”
Colloquial intensifiers such as re are regional. If you hear tengo re sueño, save it with the speaker and place rather than labelling it general Latin American Spanish.
How to Say “I’m Tired” in Spanish: Estoy cansado/a
Estoy cansado or estoy cansada means “I’m tired”. Tiredness and sleepiness overlap, but they are not identical: you can be cansado/a without wanting to sleep.
How to Say “Go to Sleep” in Spanish: Vete a dormir
Vete a dormir is an informal singular command. It can sound direct, so relationship and tone matter. Ve a dormir also occurs in some varieties. For respectful/formal singular address, use vaya/váyase a dormir; for plural Latin American address, vayan/váyanse a dormir.
How to Say “Go to Sleep” to Children: Duérmete
Duérmete is an informal singular command from dormirse. Plural forms include dormíos in the vosotros system and duérmanse with ustedes. Add ya only when “now/already” fits your tone; it can make the command firmer.
How to Say “I’m Going to Sleep” in Spanish
- Me voy a dormir. – “I’m going to sleep.”
- Ya me voy a dormir. – “I’m going to sleep now/already.”
- Me voy a dormir temprano. – “I’m going to sleep early.”
Ya is not a random filler. Its contribution changes with context, often adding “now”, “already” or a transition to a new state.
How to Say “Sleep Well” in Spanish: Que descanses
Que descanses and que duermas bien are common wishes with informal singular tú. Use que descanse/duerma bien with usted, que descanséis/durmáis bien with vosotros, and que descansen/duerman bien with ustedes. Que duermas bien is not limited to children.
How to Say “Have a Good Night” in Spanish
Buenas noches is the safest general “good night”. You may also hear wishes such as que pases una buena noche or que tengas una buena noche, especially in parts of Latin America. Do not treat singular/plural noche(s) variation as one universal regional rule.
How to Say “Sweet Dreams”: Dulces sueños
Dulces sueños means “sweet dreams”. Que sueñes con los angelitos (“may you dream of little angels”) is affectionate and may sound child-directed or sentimental. Sueña conmigo (“dream of me”) can be romantic or playful.
How to Ask “Are You Sleeping?” in Spanish
| Address | Question |
|---|---|
| tú/vos | ¿Estás durmiendo? |
| usted | ¿Está durmiendo? |
| vosotros/as | ¿Estáis durmiendo? |
| ustedes | ¿Están durmiendo? |
Possible answers include no puedo dormir (“I can’t sleep”) and ya no (“not anymore”).
How to Ask “How Did You Sleep?”
| Address | Question |
|---|---|
| tú/vos | ¿Cómo dormiste? |
| usted | ¿Cómo durmió? |
| vosotros/as | ¿Cómo dormisteis? |
| ustedes | ¿Cómo durmieron? |
¿Cómo amaneciste? asks more broadly how someone woke up or feels this morning; it is not a word-for-word replacement in every setting.
How to Ask “Did You Sleep Well?”
Use ¿Dormiste bien? with tú/vos, ¿Durmió bien? with usted, ¿Dormisteis bien? with vosotros, and ¿Durmieron bien? with ustedes. Perfect forms such as ¿Has dormido bien? are common in Spain for recent events; preterite/perfect preferences vary across regions.
Sleep-Related Spanish Expressions and Idioms
- Tener el sueño ligero – to be a light sleeper.
- Hablar dormido/a or hablar en sueños – to talk in one’s sleep.
- No pegar ojo – not to sleep a wink.
- Dormir como un tronco – to sleep like a log.
- Dormir a pierna suelta – to sleep soundly.
- Pasar la noche en blanco/en vela – to have a sleepless night.
- A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda – a proverb comparable to “the early bird catches the worm”.
How to Write Snoring Sounds in Spanish
Zzz is a common comics convention for sleep in Spanish as in English. Snoring spellings vary by comic and creator; treat forms such as rrr as sound effects, not vocabulary with one standard spelling.
What Is a siesta?
Siesta can mean an afternoon nap or rest. It does not mean that all Spaniards sleep every afternoon or that every business follows one national 14:00-16:00 closure. Schedules vary by region, season, industry and individual routine. “To take a nap” can be dormir la siesta or echar(se) la siesta.
Hotel Vocabulary for a Night’s Sleep
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| reservar una habitación | book a room |
| fecha de entrada / salida | check-in / check-out date |
| cancelación gratuita | free cancellation |
| desayuno incluido | breakfast included |
| cama de matrimonio | double bed |
| cama individual | single bed |
| cama supletoria | extra bed |
| cuna | cot/crib |
| bañera | bathtub |
| jabón | soap |
| hora de llegada | arrival time |
| pago por adelantado | prepayment |
Booking vocabulary changes by country and platform. Confirm the dates, room type, taxes and cancellation terms instead of relying on one translated label.
Can You Learn Spanish While You Sleep?
You cannot replace awake listening, retrieval and conversation with an overnight audio track. Sleep supports memory consolidation, but laboratory findings about cueing or forming simple associations during sleep do not amount to learning conversational Spanish unconsciously.
Review Before Bed
A short, calm review before bed can be useful because you practise while awake and then sleep normally. Retrieve five sentences, check them, and stop. Protecting sleep is more valuable than extending a tired study session.
Do Not Rely on Audio While You Sleep
A laboratory study of vocabulary associations during sleep found limited implicit effects under tightly timed conditions. It did not show that playing ordinary lessons all night teaches a usable language. Audio can also disturb sleep. Listen while awake; if you experiment at night, prioritise comfort and sleep quality.
Practise the Sleep Phrases While You’re Awake
Choose one mini-dialogue: Tengo mucho sueño. Ya me voy a dormir. Que descanses. Buenas noches. Retrieve it without looking, then change the pronoun or time. That connects noun, verb, register and context.
For more everyday vocabulary, continue with the Fi3M basic Spanish phrases guide.
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