How to Say "while sleeping" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “while sleeping” is “durmiendo” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
El niño está durmiendo profundamente ahora mismo.
The boy is sleeping deeply right now.
Estuve durmiendo casi diez horas este fin de semana.
I was sleeping almost ten hours this weekend.
Ella se cayó de la cama durmiendo.
She fell out of bed while sleeping.
The '-ing' Form
This word is the Spanish way to say 'sleeping' (the '-ing' form). We call it the Verbal Adverb, and you use it to show an action in progress.
Continuous Actions
To say 'I am sleeping,' you must combine 'durmiendo' with a form of 'estar' (to be): 'Estoy durmiendo.' This construction tells us what is happening right now.
Forgetting the Stem Change
Mistake: “Muchos niños están *dormiendo*.”
Correction: Muchos niños están *durmiendo*. The verb 'dormir' is irregular; the 'o' changes to a 'u' in this form, unlike regular verbs.
Using the Infinitive
Mistake: “Yo estoy *dormir*.”
Correction: Yo estoy *durmiendo*. Always use the Verbal Adverb ('durmiendo') after 'estar' to describe current action.
Related Translations
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