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addormentare

to put to sleep

verb ahd-dor-men-TAH-reh Rare
Body & Health Health & Illness

Also means

to fall asleep (reflexive)

Usage Note

Addormentare (transitive) means to put someone to sleep; addormentarsi (reflexive) means to fall asleep oneself. The distinction matters: la mamma addormenta il bambino vs mi sono addormentato sul divano (I fell asleep on the sofa). It uses essere as auxiliary in the reflexive past: mi sono addormentato. In anatomy, addormentarsi also describes a limb 'going numb'.

Examples

"Il bambino si addormenta subito."

Natural Translation

The child falls asleep right away.

Literal Translation

The child himself falls-asleep right-away

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