réveillé
/ʁe.vɛ.je/
The English phrase "woke up" is translated into French as réveillé.
réveillé is used to describe the act of stopping sleep and becoming awake. In a formal context, if you mean "to become aware" of a situation rather than the physical act of waking, you should use the phrase avoir pris conscience.
Which one should you use?
The form réveillé is part of the reflexive verb se réveiller, which means to wake oneself up. In contrast, the non-reflexive verb réveiller is used when you are waking someone else up.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a past participle used with the auxiliary verb être, the form must agree in gender and number with the subject. A female speaker uses réveillée, while a group of men or a mixed-gender group uses réveillés. A group consisting only of women uses réveillées.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ʁe.vɛ.je/ and consists of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, you can be réveillé in a way that means 'alert' or 'sharp-witted'. For example, calling someone réveillé can be a compliment to their mental quickness rather than their sleep status.
- The verb réveiller is used in the idiom réveiller les morts, which literally means 'to wake the dead'. It describes a noise so loud or a voice so piercing that it could bring people back from the grave.
- French distinguishes between se réveiller, which is the moment your eyes open, and se lever, which is the physical act of getting out of bed. You can be réveillé for an hour but not yet levé.
Examples in context
- Je me suis réveillé.I woke up.This sentence shows how to say "I woke up" using réveillé.Tatoeba #4681956 by sacredceltic, translation #3818967 by CK
- Je me suis mal réveillé.I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.This sentence uses réveillé to express waking up in a bad mood.Tatoeba #7788383 by felix63, translation #13815920 by tieguy
- Je me suis réveillé tôt.I woke up early.This sentence uses réveillé to describe waking up at an early time.Tatoeba #8630939 by Julien_PDC, translation #2549543 by CK
- Je me suis réveillé(e) ce matinI woke up this morning
- Elle s'est réveillée tôtShe woke up early
- J'ai pris conscience de la situationI woke up to the situation
- Je me suis réveillé(e) en sursaut à cause du bruitI woke up suddenly because of the noise
- 95 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are talking in their kitchen in the morning.
- NathanTu t'es réveillé à quelle heure ?What time did you wake up?
- ManonJe me suis réveillée très tôt ce matin.I woke up very early this morning.
- NathanTu as bien dormi ?Did you sleep well?
- ManonOui, mais je suis encore fatiguée.Yes, but I am still tired.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry réveillé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
