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How to Say "slept" in Spanish

English → Spanish

durmió

verbA1
Use this when describing a specific, completed instance of someone sleeping in the past (he, she, or it).

Examples

Ella durmió ocho horas anoche.

She slept eight hours last night.

dormido

/dor-MEE-doh//doɾˈmiðo/

past participleA2
Use this form only when it is combined with the auxiliary verb 'haber' to create perfect tenses, indicating an action that has happened.
A figure sitting up in a messy bed, yawning widely and stretching their arms high above their head, indicating they have just finished sleeping.

Examples

Hoy no he dormido nada porque tuve que estudiar.

Today I haven't slept at all because I had to study.

Ella había dormido en el coche durante el viaje largo.

She had slept in the car during the long trip.

Creating Compound Tenses

The past participle 'dormido' is combined with a form of the helping verb 'haber' to create perfect tenses, which describe actions completed before another point in time. It always stays as 'dormido' in these tenses, never changing to match gender or number.

Participle Invariance

Unlike its use as an adjective, when 'dormido' is used with 'haber' (e.g., 'he dormido'), the ending always stays '-o'. It never changes to '-a' or '-os' even if the subject is plural or feminine.

Forgetting HABER

Mistake: “Yo dormido en mi casa.”

Correction: Yo he dormido en mi casa. In Spanish, you always need the verb 'haber' (to have/auxiliary) before the past participle to form compound tenses.

Verb vs. Past Participle Confusion

Learners often confuse 'durmió' and 'dormido' by using 'dormido' as a standalone past tense verb. Remember, 'dormido' needs 'haber' to form perfect tenses; 'durmió' is the simple past tense verb itself.

Related Translations

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