Which one should you use?
While rester is the versatile choice for staying in a location or remaining in a state, other verbs exist for specific contexts. Séjourner is commonly seen in written French. Loger is specifically used when you are staying in a particular type of accommodation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In parts of France and in regions like Canada, the verb loger is commonly used to express staying in a specific accommodation.
How does it change in a sentence?
Rester is a regular -er verb in the present tense. When forming the passé composé (the past tense), rester uses the auxiliary verb être instead of avoir. For example, 'has stayed' is translated as est resté. You can also use the first-person plural imperative form restons to mean 'let's stay'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of rester is /ʁɛs.te/ and it has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because most French verbs use avoir as an auxiliary verb, English speakers often mistakenly say a resté instead of using être. Always remember to use être with rester in the passé composé.
Did you know?
- While rester means 'to stay', the French word rester can also mean 'to be left over' when talking about food or money.
- When you tell a child reste tranquille, you are not asking them to stay in a room, but rather telling them to 'behave' or 'stop fidgeting'.
- The word rester comes from the Latin verb 'restare', which literally meant 'to stand back' or 'to remain behind'.
Examples in context
- Tu dois y rester.You need to stay there.This sentence uses rester to express the need to stay in a location.Tatoeba #7790909 by Aiji, translation #3184982 by CK
- Tom va rester ici.Tom is going to stay here.This sentence shows how to use rester to describe a future intention to stay in a location.Tatoeba #5655277 by Yemana, translation #3185055 by CK
- Je vais rester ici.I'm going to stay here.Tatoeba #11571714 by Aiji, translation #2546600 by CK
- Je reste à l'hôtel pour une semaine.I am staying at the hotel for a week.
- Ils restent chez leurs amis.They are staying at their friends' place.
- Je demeure chez ma grand-mère ce week-end.I am staying at my grandmother's this weekend.
- Nous séjournons dans une petite auberge de campagne.We are staying in a small countryside inn.
- Elle loge dans un hôtel près de la plage.She is staying in a hotel near the beach.
- 578 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Lea are talking about a party.
- HugoEst-ce que tu vas rester ?Are you going to stay?
- LéaOui, je veux rester encore un peu.Yes, I want to stay a bit longer.
- HugoC'est cool, on peut rester ensemble.That's cool, we can stay together.
- LéaD'accord, on va rester ici.Okay, we will stay here.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry rester, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rester, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
