Se reposer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

se reposer — “to rest” — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. On this page you will find se reposer in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short dialogues that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. A first sentence to fix the verb in your memory: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.” — “I rest in the garden on Sundays.”

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for se reposer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Example sentences with se reposer

In the present tense

  • “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche tous les jours.” — “I rest in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Tu te reposes dans le jardin le dimanche souvent.” — “You rest in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Il se repose dans le jardin le dimanche chaque matin.” — “He rests in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Nous nous reposons dans le jardin le dimanche le week-end.” — “We rest in the garden on Sundays.”

In the passé composé

  • “Je me suis reposé dans le jardin le dimanche hier.” — “I have rested in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Tu t'es reposé dans le jardin le dimanche ce matin.” — “You have rested in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Il s'est reposé dans le jardin le dimanche la semaine dernière.” — “He has rested in the garden on Sundays.”

In the imperfect and the future

  • “Je me reposais dans le jardin le dimanche quand j’étais jeune.” — “When I was young, I used to rest in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Nous nous reposions dans le jardin le dimanche quand j’étais jeune.” — “We used to rest in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Tu te reposeras dans le jardin le dimanche demain.” — “You will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.”
  • “Ils se reposeront dans le jardin le dimanche demain.” — “They will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.”

In other tenses

  • “Je me reposerais dans le jardin le dimanche si je pouvais.” — “I would rest in the garden on Sundays if I could.”
  • “Il faut que je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.” — “It is important that I rest in the garden on Sundays.”
  • “Ne te repose pas dans le jardin le dimanche !” — “Do not rest in the garden on Sundays!” The same verb in the pluperfect: “Je m'étais reposé dans le jardin le dimanche avant la fête.” — “I had rested in the garden on Sundays before the party.”

All forms above come from the verified tables. The gerund is en reposant and the past participle is reposé; the perfect tenses use être + reposé, as in suis reposé.

Se reposer in context

Dialogue 1: every day

Marie and Paul talk about what they do every day. Notice how se reposer changes with the person, and how the passé composé appears when they talk about yesterday.

Marie: “Tu te reposes dans le jardin le dimanche tous les jours ?” — “You rest in the garden on Sundays.” Paul: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche tous les jours.” — “I rest in the garden on Sundays.” Marie: “Tu t'es reposé dans le jardin le dimanche hier ?” — “You have rested in the garden on Sundays.” Paul: “Je me suis reposé dans le jardin le dimanche hier.” — “I have rested in the garden on Sundays.” Marie: “Nous nous reposerons dans le jardin le dimanche demain ?” — “We will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.” Paul: “Nous nous reposerons dans le jardin le dimanche demain.” — “We will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.”

Dialogue 2: making plans

Paul and Marie make plans for the weekend. The conditional appears for polite suggestions, and the imperative for a direct request.

Paul: “Je me reposerais dans le jardin le dimanche si je pouvais.” — “I would rest in the garden on Sundays if I could.” Marie: “Tu te reposes dans le jardin le dimanche souvent ?” — “You rest in the garden on Sundays.” Paul: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche souvent.” — “I rest in the garden on Sundays.” Marie: “Ne te repose pas dans le jardin le dimanche !” — “Do not rest in the garden on Sundays!” Paul: “Il faut que je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.” — “It is important that I rest in the garden on Sundays.” Marie: “Nous nous sommes reposé dans le jardin le dimanche hier.” — “We have rested in the garden on Sundays.”

Read both dialogues aloud, changing the person each time: repose becomes reposes, reposes becomes repose, and so on. That is the fastest way to fix the six present forms — repose*, reposes, repose, reposons, reposez, *reposent — in memory.

Common mistakes with se reposer

Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: “Je se reposer dans le jardin le dimanche.”

Right: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”

The infinitive se reposer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form repose.

Mistake 2: Confusing se reposer with se calmer

Wrong: “Je me repose après une longue journée.” (meant as “se calmer”)

Right: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”

se reposer means “to rest” and se calmer means “to calm down”. They appear in similar situations, but they are different actions — check the meaning before you choose the verb.

Mistake 3: Using avoir for the passé composé

Wrong: “J’ai reposé dans le jardin le dimanche.”

Right: “Je me suis reposé dans le jardin le dimanche.”

With se reposer the passé composé is formed with être: suis reposé.

Mistake 4: Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: “Il faut que je repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”

Right: “Il faut que je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”

After il faut que French needs the subjunctive: repose, not the indicative repose.

Mistake 5: Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: “Je repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”

Right: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”

se reposer is reflexive: the pronoun is part of the verb.

Quiz: se reposer in everyday use

  1. What is the je form of se reposer in the Present indicative?

    • A) reposons
    • B) repose
    • C) reposez
    • D) reposent

  2. What is the ils/elles form of se reposer in the Present indicative?

    • A) repose
    • B) reposez
    • C) reposons
    • D) reposent

  3. What is the tu form of se reposer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) sommes reposé
    • B) es reposé
    • C) est reposé
    • D) suis reposé

  4. What is the nous form of se reposer in the Imperfect?

    • A) reposiez
    • B) reposaient
    • C) reposais
    • D) reposions

  5. What is the il/elle form of se reposer in the Future?

    • A) reposerez
    • B) reposeront
    • C) reposerai
    • D) reposera

  6. What is the je form of se reposer in the Conditional?

    • A) reposerions
    • B) reposeraient
    • C) reposerais
    • D) reposerait

  7. What is the tu form of se reposer in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) reposions
    • B) repose
    • C) reposiez
    • D) reposes

  8. What is the tu form of se reposer in the Imperative (affirmative)?

    • A) sommes reposé
    • B) repose
    • C) reposons
    • D) reposez

  9. What is the past participle of se reposer?

    • A) reposais
    • B) repose
    • C) en reposant
    • D) reposé

  10. What does se reposer mean in English?

  • A) to go
  • B) to be
  • C) to have
  • D) to rest

Answer key

  1. B) repose — the je form of se reposer in the present indicative is repose.
  2. D) reposent — the ils/elles form of se reposer in the present indicative is reposent.
  3. B) es reposé — the tu form of se reposer in the present perfect (passé composé) is es reposé.
  4. D) reposions — the nous form of se reposer in the imperfect is reposions.
  5. D) reposera — the il/elle form of se reposer in the future is reposera.
  6. C) reposerais — the je form of se reposer in the conditional is reposerais.
  7. D) reposes — the tu form of se reposer in the present subjunctive is reposes.
  8. B) repose — the tu form of se reposer in the imperative (affirmative) is repose.
  9. D) reposé — the past participle of se reposer is reposé; perfect tenses use être + reposé.
  10. D) to rest — se reposer means “to rest” in English.

Frequently asked questions

What does se reposer mean in English?

se reposer means “to rest”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.” (“I rest in the garden on Sundays.”).

Which auxiliary does se reposer take in the passé composé?

se reposer takes être: suis reposé. Because the auxiliary is être, the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

What is the hardest form of se reposer to remember?

Most learners struggle with keeping the six persons apart — repose*, reposes, repose, reposons, reposez, *reposent. Say them in order every day, and use the dialogues above to practise them in real sentences.

Where can I see the full conjugation of se reposer?

On the full conjugation page for se reposer, which has every tense, and on the se reposer present page, which goes deep on one tense.

Say it yourself

Cover the French sentences above and translate the English back into French. Start with the present tense: “I rest in the garden on Sundays.” should become “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche”. Then try the passé composé: “I have rested in the garden on Sundays.” should become “Je me suis reposé dans le jardin le dimanche”. Finally, try the future: “I will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.” should become “Je me reposerai dans le jardin le dimanche”. If you get a form wrong, check it against the full conjugation page and say the correct form aloud three times before moving on.

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