je me repose
To say "I rest" in French, you use je me repose.
This phrase is used to say that you are relaxing or taking a break to recover your energy.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally "I myself rest," using the reflexive pronoun 'me' to indicate the action is being performed on oneself.
Which one should you use?
While je me repose implies recovering energy or taking a break, je me détends is more specifically used for 'I am relaxing' in a mental or leisure sense. Additionally, je prends du repos means I am taking some rest.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the present tense je me repose covers both the simple present "I rest" and the continuous present "I am resting". To express that you were in the middle of resting in the past, you use the imperfect tense je me reposais.
Did you know?
- While the verb 'reposer' can mean to rest, if you use it with a different preposition, it can mean 'to put something back'. For example, 'reposer un livre' means 'to put a book back' in its place.
- In a professional context, if a person says they are 'au repos', it might mean they are 'off duty' or 'on leave' rather than just taking a quick nap.
- In some northern French dialects, the indirect object version of 'me' can appear as 'mi', a trace of the Latin 'mihi' that survived even as standard French shifted to 'me'.
Examples in context
- Je me repose dimanche.I rest on Sunday.This sentence shows how to use je me repose with a specific day of the week.Tatoeba #5554304 by sacredceltic, translation #4754195 by coolazice
- Je me repose sur ta promesse.I rest on your promise.This sentence shows how to use je me repose in a figurative sense regarding a promise.Tatoeba #4990289 by sacredceltic, translation #16876 by Dejo
- Bien entendu, je me repose le samedi.Of course, I rest on Saturdays.This sentence shows how to use je me repose to describe a regular habit.Tatoeba #11277432 by carlosalberto, translation #11277399 by carlosalberto
- Après une longue journée de travail, je me repose.After a long day of work, I rest.
- C'est le week-end, et je me pose.It's the weekend, and I rest.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are talking on the phone after work.
- ManonTu es fatigué, Lucas ?Are you tired, Lucas?
- LucasOui, alors je me repose un peu.Yes, so I am resting a little.
- ManonC'est une bonne idée.That is a good idea.
- LucasMerci, Manon. À plus tard !Thanks, Manon. See you later!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
