How to Say “We Woke Up” in French

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nous nous sommes réveillés
In French, we woke up is translated as nous nous sommes réveillés.
This phrase is used to say that a group of people stopped sleeping.

Which one should you use?

While nous nous sommes réveillés is the standard form, On s'est réveillés is an informal way to say the same thing. If you are specifically referring to a group consisting entirely of females, you must use the feminine plural forms: Nous nous sommes réveillées or On s'est réveillées.

How does it change in a sentence?

If the group of people waking up consists entirely of women, the past participle must take the feminine plural ending réveillées.

Did you know?

  • In some French dialects, speakers might use je instead of nous to mean 'we'.
  • The word nous shares a root with the Greek word noûs, which means 'mind'.
  • Historically, using je to mean 'we' was often mocked as a 'peasant-like' way of speaking by playwrights like Molière.

Examples in context

  • Nous nous sommes réveillés en sueur.
    We woke up sweaty.
    This sentence is useful for showing how to describe the physical state of the group when they used nous nous sommes réveillés.
    Tatoeba #4614157 by Amastan, translation #7795966 by sharris123
  • Lorsque nous nous sommes réveillés, grand-père avait apporté des petits pains frais pour le petit déjeuner.
    When we woke up, Grandfather had brought fresh buns for breakfast.
    This sentence is useful for using nous nous sommes réveillés within a sentence involving a specific time or event.
    Tatoeba #6058840 by christian63, translation #6060937 by colwem
  • Nous nous sommes réveillés.
    We woke up.
    This sentence is a simple way to use nous nous sommes réveillés in a basic statement.
    Tatoeba #11375710 by Aghanim, translation #12624039 by Aghanim
  • Hier matin, nous nous sommes réveillés tôt pour aller travailler.
    Yesterday morning, we woke up early to go to work.
  • Hier matin, on s'est réveillés tôt pour aller travailler.
    Yesterday morning, we woke up early to go to work.
  • Ce matin, nous nous sommes réveillés tard et avons décidé de prendre un petit-déjeuner copieux.
    This morning, we woke up late and decided to have a big breakfast.
  • On s'est réveillés tôt et nous nous sommes levés aussitôt pour préparer le petit-déjeuner.
    We woke up early and got up right away to prepare breakfast.

Example conversation

Léa and Hugo are talking about their vacation morning.

  1. Léa

    À quelle heure vous avez ouvert les rideaux ?
    What time did you open the curtains?
  2. Hugo

    Nous nous sommes réveillés très tôt ce matin.
    We woke up very early this morning.
  3. Léa

    C'est courageux, Hugo !
    That's brave, Hugo!
  4. Hugo

    Oui, nous voulions voir le lever du soleil.
    Yes, we wanted to see the sunrise.

Sources

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Cole Russell
Cole RussellHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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