Level A2 (Upper Beginner)
Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is avoir sommeil, meaning “to feel sleepy.” I’m including this lesson because it’s another essential avoir (to have) expression. You MUST say j’ai sommeil (I’m sleepy). Keep reading — it will click once you hear Marie’s audio examples.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
✅ Related lessons
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📘 Avoir sommeil meaning
Avoir sommeil means to feel sleepy in French. The word sommeil can mean sleep or sleepiness, depending on the situation. Avoir sommeil is a fixed avoir expression, which means you must use avoir (to have) — not être (to be). So you say “j’ai sommeil”, literally I have sleep; “je suis sommeil” is incorrect. If you want to say you’re tired in a more general sense, you use “je suis fatigué(e)”, which takes être because fatigué(e) is an adjective. In short, avoir sommeil is about needing sleep, while être fatigué(e) is about feeling tired overall. The word sommeil comes from the Latin somnus, meaning sleep.
🎧 Avoir sommeil pronunciation
The pronunciation of avoir sommeil is /a.vwaʁ sɔ.mɛj/, which sounds like “ah-vwar so-MAY.”
📝 Avoir sommeil examples & usages
J’ai sommeil ; je vais me coucher un peu plus tôt ce soir.
I’m sleepy ; I’m going to go to bed a little earlier tonight.
Tu as sommeil ? Prends un café ! Allez, au travail !
Are you sleepy? Have a coffee! Come on, get to work!
Sylvie a sommeil parce qu’elle a très mal dormi hier soir.
Sylvie is sleepy because she slept very poorly last night.
Jean-Luc a sommeil après la longue randonnée en haute montagne.
Jean-Luc is sleepy after the long hike in the high mountains.
Looking for a similar word to “avoir sommeil”? Use “fatigué”, meaning “tired.”
👉 See: Fatigué(e) — meaning, pronunciation, and examples »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- fatigué(e) — tired
- épuisé(e) — exhausted
- crevé(e) — worn out (informal)
- en manque de sommeil — sleep-deprived
- une bonne nuit de sommeil — a good night’s sleep
- besoin de dormir — need for sleep
- sieste — nap
- coucher tôt — early bedtime
- mal dormi — slept poorly
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 Avoir — Meaning, pronunciation, examples
👉 Avoir conjugation charts (with audio)
👉 Avoir expressions
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