dormir Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
dormir — to sleep
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'durm-' stem for all forms: durmiera, durmieras, durmiera, etc.
dormir Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for 'if' clauses (e.g., 'If I slept more...') or when expressing past wishes or requests about sleeping.
Notes on dormir in the Imperfect Subjunctive
The stem comes from the 3rd person plural preterite (durmieron). This means the 'u' persists through every single conjugation.
Example Sentences
Si yo durmiera más, tendría más energía.
If I slept more, I would have more energy.
yo
Me gustaría que ellos durmieran aquí.
I would like them to sleep here.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Si durmiéramos ahora, no estaríamos cansados.
If we slept now, we wouldn't be tired.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the 'o' stem: 'dormiera'.
Correct: durmiera
Why: The imperfect subjunctive always derives its stem from the preterite 'ellos' form (durmieron).
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: duermo
Dormir is a stem-changing verb where the 'o' becomes 'ue' in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: dormí
Dormir has a stem change (o to u) in the third-person forms: durmió and durmieron.
Imperfect
yo: dormía
The imperfect of dormir is regular: dormía, dormías, dormía, dormíamos, dormíais, dormían.
Future
yo: dormiré
The future tense of dormir is regular: dormiré, dormirás, dormirá, dormiremos, dormiréis, dormirán.
Conditional
yo: dormiría
The conditional of dormir is regular: dormiría, dormirías, dormiría, dormiríamos, dormiríais, dormirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: duerma
Dormir changes o > ue in most forms, but importantly o > u in the nosotros and vosotros forms.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: duerme
The imperative uses 'duerme' for tú and 'duerma' for usted, with 'durmamos' for let's sleep.
Negative Imperative
yo: no duermas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no duermas, no duerma, no durmamos.