lever
/lə.ve/
To rise in French is lever.
The verb is used to describe movement upwards. To describe the action of moving upwards as a noun, use montée.
Meaning: to move upwards (verb)
Which one should you use?
While lever means to lift or raise an object, the intransitive sense of moving upwards by oneself is typically expressed using the reflexive form se lever.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a person rising from a seat or getting out of bed, the reflexive form se lever is used. Additionally, the phrase se lever is used for celestial bodies, such as the sun rising.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /lə.ve/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- When a French speaker says lever le coude (literally 'to lift the elbow'), they are not talking about movement, but about drinking a lot of alcohol.
- The French word for 'sunrise' is lever du soleil, but the term le lever is also used as a formal noun to describe the specific moment a monarch woke up and received guests.
- While se lever means to rise, French speakers use the phrase lever le pied (literally 'to lift the foot') to mean slowing down or taking it easy.
Examples in context
- Il vaut mieux aller au lit sans dîner que de se lever avec des dettes.Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt.This sentence shows the use of lever in a metaphorical sense regarding debt.Tatoeba #2079218 by sacredceltic, translation #7001008 by Adelpa
- Même si le soleil venait à se lever à l'ouest, je ne romprais pas ma promesse.If the sun were to rise in the west, I would not break my word.This sentence illustrates the use of lever regarding the sun rising.Tatoeba #332113 by Barbiche0, translation #40720 by shanghainese
- Laban fouilla toute la tente, et ne trouva rien. Elle dit à son père : Que mon seigneur ne se fâche point, si je ne puis me lever devant toi, car j’ai ce qui est ordinaire aux femmes. Il chercha, et ne trouva point les théraphim.And when he had searched all the tent, and founding nothing, she said: Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee, because it has now happened to me according to the custom of women. So his careful search was in vain.This sentence demonstrates the use of lever regarding rising before someone.Tatoeba #8087977 by Micsmithel, translation #7828202 by carlosalberto
- Le soleil s'élève dans le ciel.The sun rises in the sky.
- Le niveau de la mer s'élève chaque année.The sea level rises every year.
- Les prix du marché montent rapidement.Market prices are rising rapidly.
- Les chiffres montent en flèche.The numbers are skyrocketing.
- Les prix augmentent chaque semaine.Prices are rising every week.
- Le nombre de personnes présentes augmentera demain.The number of people present will rise tomorrow.
- Les températures grimpent en été.Temperatures rise during the summer.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are watching the sunrise at the beach.
- EmmaRegarde, le soleil va bientôt se lever.Look, the sun is about to rise.
- GabrielOui, c'est magnifique à cette heure-ci.Yes, it is magnificent at this hour.
- EmmaJ'adore voir le jour se lever ici.I love watching the day rise here.
- GabrielMoi aussi, Gabriel est d'accord avec toi.Me too, Gabriel agrees with you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry lever, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
