s'allonger
To lie down in French is s'allonger. Wiktionary also lists s'étendre and se coucher.
Meaning: assume a horizontal position (verb)
Ways to say it
| French |
|---|
| s'allonger |
| s'étendre |
| se coucher |
The phrase is used to describe the act of assuming a horizontal position. Depending on the context, you might use different verbs to emphasize the physical act of stretching out, the act of going to bed or a more literary way of describing the body spreading out.
Which one should you use?
s'allonger specifically emphasizes the physical action of becoming horizontal or stretching one's body out. In contrast, se coucher is more commonly used to mean 'to go to bed' for the purpose of sleeping. For a more formal or literary tone, s'étendre can be used, as it often implies a more complete or dramatic stretching out of the body.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the verb s'allonger, Je m'allonge means 'I lie down' and Tu t'allonges means 'You lie down'.
Did you know?
- The verb coucher is used in the phrase coucher sur le papier, which means to put an idea into writing or to 'lay' it on the page.
- The word coucher is also used to describe the setting of the sun, as in le coucher du soleil, imagining the sun lying down for the night.
- In a culinary context, the verb coucher is used for the precise placement of food, such as 'to lay' a thin layer of cream on a dessert.
Examples in context
- Il va s'allonger un peu.He's going to lie down for a moment.This sentence shows someone going to lie down for a short time using s'allonger.Tatoeba #3273092 by Nyans, translation #3273091 by sundown
- Je fis se coucher mon chien.I made my dog lie down.This sentence shows the use of se coucher in the context of making an animal lie down.Tatoeba #5392647 by Aiji, translation #257251 by CK
- Il va aller s'allonger un peu.He's going to go and lie down for a bit.This sentence shows a variation of using s'allonger to indicate going to lie down for a bit.Tatoeba #3273455 by Aiji, translation #3273454 by CM
- Madame, veuillez vous allonger pour votre examen médical.Madam, please lie down for your medical examination.
- Julie, allonge-toi sur le canapé et repose-toi un peu.Julie, lie down on the couch and take a rest.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lie down” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
