French · Everyday Verbs
"to stand (up)" in French: se lever
se lever
Note: to be standing: être debout
To stand up / get up in French is se lever. Je me lève means I get up. Être debout means to be standing, not the action of rising.
Morning routine
Je me lève à sept heures tous les jours.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce se lever
Say it
suh luh-VAY
/sə lə.ve/
Suh luh-VAY. Lève has an open è: LEHV. Je me lève: zhuh muh LEHV.
"to stand (up)" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| se lever | to get up / stand up Infinitive (reflexive). | Infinitive (reflexive). |
| je me lève | I get up Present. | Present. |
| lève-toi | get up (tu) Imperative. | Imperative. |
| se lever tôt | to get up early Morning habits. | Morning habits. |
| être debout | to be standing State, not the rising action. | State, not the rising action. |
How to use se lever in real life
- 1Morning routine
Je me lève à sept heures tous les jours.
I get up at seven every day.
Je me lève.
- 2Bus stop
Lève-toi, c'est notre arrêt.
Stand up, it's our stop.
Imperative lève-toi.
- 3Meeting room
Tout le monde se lève pour applaudir.
Everyone stands up to applaud.
Se lève / se lèvent pattern.
Mistakes English speakers make with se lever
Incorrect: Je lève à sept heures.
Correct: Je me lève à sept heures.
Se lever is reflexive: me / te / se.
Incorrect: Je suis debout à sept heures. (when you mean wake/get up)
Correct: Je me lève à sept heures.
Être debout is standing; se lever is getting up.
Good to know
Lève-toi is common with kids and alarms. At concerts people se lèvent for the encore. For posture, reste debout is stay standing.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Waking a roommate
ChatPal
Tu te lèves bientôt ?
Are you getting up soon?
You
Oui, je me lève dans cinq minutes.
Yes, I'm getting up in five minutes.
ChatPal
Le café est prêt.
Coffee is ready.
You
Parfait, j'arrive.
Perfect, I'm coming.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to stand (up)" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to stand (up)" in French
How do you say to stand up in French?
Se lever for the action; être debout for being upright.
How do you say I get up?
Je me lève.
How do you say get up! (to a friend)?
Lève-toi !
Is lever without se ok?
Lever alone means to raise something; for standing up use se lever.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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