How to Say "Standing Up" in French

debout

/də.bu/

The English phrase "standing up" is translated into French as debout.

The word debout is used to describe the state of being in an upright position on one's feet.

Which one should you use?

While debout describes the state of being upright, the verb se lever is used for the action of standing up from a seated position.

The word debout is an adverb and does not change its form for gender or number.

The pronunciation of debout is /də.bu/.

In a French classroom, a student who is called upon to answer a question is often expected to be debout as a sign of respect to the teacher.
In French, the phrase être debout can be used figuratively to describe a project or a business that is 'up and running' or established.
The word debout is built from the preposition de and the noun bout, meaning 'at the tip' or 'at the end'.

L'artiste a peint debout.
The artist painted standing up.
This example shows how to describe an artist painting while in the state of being debout.
Tatoeba #8751260 by Aiji, translation #7831944 by AlanF_US
Les chevaux dorment debout.
Horses sleep standing up.
This sentence describes horses that sleep while in the state of being debout.
Tatoeba #5667011 by Yemana, translation #2550100 by CM
Je dors debout.
I sleep standing up.
This example uses debout to describe the state of sleeping while upright.
Tatoeba #932319 by sacredceltic, translation #869570 by papabear
Il faut se lever lorsque le professeur entre dans la salle de classe.
You should stand up when the teacher enters the classroom.
Vous devez être debout lors de la cérémonie officielle.
You must be standing up during the official ceremony.
Les supporters se sont mis debout pour applaudir l'équipe gagnante.
The fans stood up to applaud the winning team.
Quand notre chanson préférée est passée, on s'est tous levés pour danser.
When our favorite song played, we all stood up to dance.
Il est poli de se lever lorsque quelqu'un entre dans la pièce.
It is polite to stand up when someone enters the room.
On s'est levé pour laisser passer les personnes âgées dans le bus.
We stood up to let the elderly people pass on the bus.
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hugo and Chloé are at a crowded party.

Hugo

Je reste debout parce qu'il n'y a plus de chaises.
I am staying standing because there are no more chairs.
Chloé

Tu veux que je cherche un tabouret pour toi ?
Do you want me to look for a stool for you?
Hugo

Non merci, je suis bien debout ici.
No thanks, I am fine standing here.
Chloé

D'accord, mais ne fatigue pas trop tes jambes.
Alright, but don't tire your legs out too much.

Sources

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