Ways to say it
| French |
|---|
| se lever |
| se mettre debout |
The phrase is used to describe the physical act of rising from a sitting or lying position. While it refers to the physical movement, note that the expression 'to stand up for your rights' is translated differently as défendre tes droits.
What does it mean word for word?
se lever is composed of the reflexive pronoun se and the verb lever, which means 'to raise' or 'to lift'.
Which one should you use?
se lever is the most common way to express the act of rising from a seat or rising from bed. In contrast, se mettre debout emphasizes the transition into a standing posture and is often used to describe the specific movement of moving from a sitting or lying position to a vertical one.
How does it change in a sentence?
To give the command 'stand up' to one person informally, you use the reflexive imperative lève-toi.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using lever on its own to mean 'stand up'. The verb lever requires an object, such as in lever la main (to raise one's hand).
Did you know?
- The verb lever comes from the Latin levāre, meaning 'to lighten'. This is the same root that gives English the word 'levitate'.
- In certain contexts, se lever can be used to describe a sudden surge of emotion or a social uprising, similar to 'rising up' in English.
- In a formal French setting, like a courtroom or a concert, you might hear the command Levez-vous to tell an entire room to stand up at once.
Examples in context
- Il a essayé de se lever.He tried to stand up.This sentence shows an attempt to use se lever.Tatoeba #133513 by sysko, translation #304658 by CK
- Tom aida Marie à se lever.Tom helped Mary stand up.This sentence shows helping someone se lever.Tatoeba #5670096 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #5670095 by Hybrid
- Amy fit un effort pour se lever.Amy made an effort to stand up.This sentence shows the effort made to se lever.Tatoeba #10777 by Apex, translation #65376 by CN
- Pouvez-vous vous lever pendant l'hymne national?Can you stand up during the national anthem?
- Lève-toi de ta chaise et viens voir ça !Stand up from your chair and come see this!
- Relevez-vous et allons faire une balade.Stand up and let's go for a walk.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are in a classroom.
- LéaLucas, peux-tu te lever s'il te plaît ?Lucas, can you stand up please?
- LucasOui, je vais me lever tout de suite.Yes, I am going to stand up right now.
- LéaMerci, maintenant tout le monde peut se lever.Thank you, now everyone can stand up.
- LucasD'accord, on se lève !Okay, we're standing up!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stand up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries debout, lever, mettre, se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
