Getting out of one’s nice cosy bed can be tough sometimes, especially in the middle of the winter when you’re lying there listening to the wind’s icy fingers grabbing at the roof tiles and whipping the branches around …

Sto così bene qui a letto, devo davvero alzarmi? = I’m really comfortable here in bed, do I really have to get up?
But blogs must be written dear readers, and it’s hard to work on the computer under the bed covers! So here we are, and if I can’t remain horizontal … well I can at least write about it!

The Vocabulary Of Sleepiness

dormire = to sleep
examples:
hai dormito bene? = did you sleep well?
ho dormito bene/male stanotte = I slept well/badly last night
n.b. to say ‘last night’ in Italian we use questa notte or stanotte = this night

una dormita = a sleep
examples:
hai fatto una bella dormita? = did you have a nice sleep?
stanotte ho fatto una bella dormita = I slept really well last night

addormentarsi = to fall asleep
examples:
mi sono addormentato/a verso le dieci = I fell asleep at around ten
a che ora ti sei addormentato/a? = what time did you fall asleep?
ci siamo addormentati/e sul treno = we fell asleep on the train
n.b. as this is a reflexive verb, the ending must agree with the subject in number and gender

svegliarsi = to wake up
examples:
oggi mi sono svegliato/a presto = I woke up early today
hai fatto fatica a svegliarti stamattina, vero? = you struggled to wake up this morning, didn’t you?
ci siamo svegliati/e quando il treno è arrivato a Firenze = we woke up when the train got to Firenze
n.b. as this is a reflexive verb, the ending must agree with the subject in number and gender

sbadigliare = to yawn
examples:
non riesco a smettere di sbadigliare! = I can’t stop yawning!
ho notato che sbadigliavi durante lo spettacolo = I noticed that you were yawning during the show

russare = to snore
examples:
non sono riuscito/a a dormire perché russavi forte tutta la notte! = I couldn’t sleep because you were snoring loudly all night!

Here’s an image that I published in a recent blog without translating the caption. It makes sense when you realise that ‘russo’ means both ‘I snore’ and ‘Russian’. Ambra. Photo by Geoff

A Few Useful Expressions

essere in dormiveglia = to be half asleep
examples:
sono stato/a in dormiveglia per tutto il viaggio = I’ve been half asleep for the whole trip

dormire come un ghiro = to sleep like a dormouse
ero molto stanco, ho dormito come un ghiro! = I was really tired, I slept like a dormouse

essere stanco/a/i/e morto/a/i/e = to be dead tired
vado a letto, sono stanco morto! = I’m going to bed, I’m dead tired!
N.B. remember to adjust the ending according to the gender and number of the subject.

fare una pennichella or fare un pisolino or schiacciare un pisolino = to have a nap

…. hmm sounds like a good idea! Ciao ciao …

 P.S. for more sleepy vocabulary check out this old post: https://blogs.transparent.com/italian/so-sleepy/