Italian Phrase
Vai a dormire tra poco?
Meaning
Literally, “Are you going to sleep soon?”. It’s a friendly, informal way to check if someone is about to go to bed or take a short nap.
When to use
Use it in casual conversation with friends, family, or classmates in the evening or when you suspect someone is about to head to bed. It’s not appropriate in formal settings or with strangers you don’t know well.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vaiadormiretrapoco
Andare + a + infinitive
The verb *andare* in the present tense followed by *a* and an infinitive expresses a near‑future action, similar to “going to” in English.
Preposition *a*
*a* links the auxiliary verb *andare* with the infinitive and is mandatory in this construction.
Infinitive *dormire*
*Dormire* means “to sleep”. In this phrase it refers to the act of going to sleep, not just lying down.
Temporal phrase *tra poco*
*Tra poco* is an idiomatic way to say “in a short while/soon”. It can be replaced by *presto* or *fra poco*.
🗨In Conversation
Vai a dormire tra poco?
Are you going to sleep soon?
Sì, tra mezz’ora mi metto a letto.
Yes, in half an hour I’ll go to bed.
✕Common Mistakes
Vai dormire tra poco?
The preposition *a* is required after *vai* when you use the infinitive.
Vai a dormire in poco?
The correct temporal expression is *tra poco* (or *fra poco*), not *in poco*.
Sei dormire tra poco?
You cannot combine *essere* with an infinitive; use *stai per dormire* instead.
↔Alternatives
Stai per dormire?
Are you about to sleep?
Ti vai a coricare?
Are you going to hit the sack?
Andrai a dormire tra poco?
Will you go to sleep soon?
Cultural Tip
In Italian, the *andare a + infinitive* construction is the go‑to way to talk about near‑future plans, especially in informal speech. *Dormire* covers both “to sleep” and “to go to bed”, but if you want to stress the act of getting into bed you can use *coricarsi* or the colloquial *andare a coricare*. Also, *tra poco* and *fra poco* are interchangeable; the former is slightly more common in spoken Italian.