French: irregular verbs: dormir and partir(?)

Self-tutoring about French irregular verbs: the tutor mentions dormir with a cautious connection.

The following is according to my understanding.

I mention in my post from May 6 the conjugations of partir (to leave) and sortir (to go out). Conjugation-wise, one might connect dormir (to sleep) as well, but with caution:

Dormir is strongly irregular. Its conjugation, present indicative, is je/tu dors, il/elle dort, nous dormons, vous dormez, ils/elles dorment. Partir’s is je/tu pars, il/elle part, nous partons, vous partez, ils/elles partent. One can see similarities between the two, with the endings as well as with the stem change between je/tu and il/elle. Yet, with dormir, the arrival of the t at the end of the il/elle form is unanticipated, since dormir doesn’t have a t (unlike partir). Moreover, the t only appears in dormir’s il/elle form; from nous onward, the stem is dorm-, which makes sense, given the m in dormir.

That isolated t in at the end of the il/elle form of the present indicative of dormir has probably claimed many marks from French students. To a French learner, it’s a curiosity of a type with which one gets more and more acquainted:)

Source:

Kenney, M., Burville, V., Hickox, B., Hill, J., Potter, C. (1977). Passeport Français 8: Bonne Chance! D.C. Heath Canada Ltd.