dormir, endormir, rendormir

ByFast French

The French verbs dormir, endormir, and rendormir all relate to sleep but have distinct meanings and uses. They can be used in their transitive, intransitive, or pronominal forms.

1. Dormir (to sleep)

  • Meaning: To sleep.
  • Form: Intransitive (does not take a direct object).
  • Etymology: From Latin dormire, meaning “to sleep.”

Conjugation:

  • Present:
    Je dors, tu dors, il dort, nous dormons, vous dormez, ils dorment.
  • Passé Composé:
    J’ai dormi, tu as dormi, il a dormi, nous avons dormi, vous avez dormi, ils ont dormi.

Examples:

  • Je dors huit heures par nuit.
    (I sleep eight hours a night.)
  • Hier, j’ai dormi jusqu’à midi.
    (Yesterday, I slept until noon.)

2. Endormir (to put to sleep, to fall asleep)

  • Meaning:
  • Transitive: To put someone or something to sleep.
  • Pronominal (s’endormir): To fall asleep.
  • Etymology: From Latin in- (into) + dormire (to sleep).

Conjugation:

  • Present:
    J’endors, tu endors, il endort, nous endormons, vous endormez, ils endorment.
  • Passé Composé:
    J’ai endormi, tu as endormi, il a endormi, nous avons endormi, vous avez endormi, ils ont endormi.

Examples:

  • Transitive:
    La musique endort le bébé.
    (The music puts the baby to sleep.)
  • Pronominal:
    Je m’endors toujours devant la télé.
    (I always fall asleep in front of the TV.)
  • Hier, je me suis endormi à 22 heures.
    (Yesterday, I fell asleep at 10 p.m.)

3. Rendormir (to put back to sleep, to fall back asleep)

  • Meaning:
  • Transitive: To put someone or something back to sleep.
  • Pronominal (se rendormir): To fall back asleep.
  • Etymology: From Latin re- (again) + dormire (to sleep).

Conjugation:

  • Present:
    Je rendors, tu rendors, il rendort, nous rendormons, vous rendormez, ils rendorment.
  • Passé Composé:
    J’ai rendormi, tu as rendormi, il a rendormi, nous avons rendormi, vous avez rendormi, ils ont rendormi.

Examples:

  • Transitive:
    Elle a rendormi son enfant après le cauchemar.
    (She put her child back to sleep after the nightmare.)
  • Pronominal:
    Je me suis rendormi après le bruit.
    (I fell back asleep after the noise.)

Key Differences:

  • Dormir: Simply means “to sleep.”
  • Endormir: Focuses on the act of falling asleep or making someone sleep.
  • Rendormir: Focuses on returning to sleep or making someone sleep again.

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • monter dans vs monter à

    ByFast French

    French learners often wonder when to use monter dans and when to use monter à. Both can be translated as “to get in” or “to get on,” but their use depends on the type of transport or the situation. Monter dansThe expression monter dans is used when someone goes inside a closed or enclosed vehicle….

  • tirer

    ByFast French

    The French verb “tirer” means “to draw” or “to pull,” but it has many additional meanings. It is a widely used verb, as well as being the basis of other related verbs such as attirer, étirer, retirer and soutirer. Multiple Meanings of “Tirer”: Etymology The verb “tirer” comes from the Latin verb “tirare,” which means…

  • somewhere elsewhere anywhere nowhere everywhere

    ByFast French

    The English words somewhere, elsewhere, anywhere, nowhere and everywhere all refer to places in a vague or general way. In French, each has its own equivalent. Sometimes more than one translation is possible, depending on context. Somewhere The most common French word for somewhere is quelque part. example:Il doit être quelque part ici.He must be…

  • vivre vs habiter

    ByFast French

    Both vivre and habiter mean “to live” in French, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 1. Vivre – “To live” (in a broader sense) 2. Habiter – “To reside” (more specific) Key Difference: In everyday conversation, habiter is more common when talking about where someone lives physically, while vivre is used for broader…