adormilarse

The Spanish word "adormilarse" is a verb meaning to start to doze off or to become drowsy. It describes the state when a person begins to feel sleepy, often leading to nodding off or falling into light sleep unintentionally.

Breakdown of the word:

• The root "dormir" means "to sleep."
• The prefix "a-" can indicate an inchoative state, meaning the beginning of an action.
• The suffix "-se" is reflexive, indicating that the subject is doing the action to themselves.

So, "adormilarse" roughly translates to "to begin to fall asleep" or "to become sleepy", focusing on the onset rather than deep sleep.

Synonyms:

• Quedarse dormido (to fall asleep)
• Cabecear (to nod off, literally "to bob the head")
• Domir un poco (to sleep a little)

Antonyms:

• Despertarse (to wake up, the opposite of falling asleep)
• Estar despierto (to be awake)

Usage in a sentence:

• Me adormilé mientras leía el libro.
  (I started to doze off while reading the book.)

In summary, "adormilarse" is the reflexive verb used to express the beginning phase of sleepiness or light sleep.