Se reposer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of se reposer — “to rest” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for se reposer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “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.
Present Tense conjugation of se reposer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for se reposer. se reposer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — se reposer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | repose |
| tu | reposes |
| il/elle | repose |
| nous | reposons |
| vous | reposez |
| ils/elles | reposent |
The gerund of se reposer is en reposant and the past participle is reposé. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of se reposer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem se repos- (the infinitive se reposer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → repose, tu → reposes, il/elle → repose, nous → reposons, vous → reposez, ils/elles → reposent. So se reposer gives repose, reposes, repose, reposons, reposez, reposent. se reposer is reflexive: the pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) goes before the verb — “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche”. The tables show the bare verb form; the examples add the pronoun.
When to use the present tense of se reposer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with se reposer: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche tous les jours.” — “I rest in the garden on Sundays.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with se reposer: “Tu te reposes dans le jardin le dimanche en général.” — “You rest in the garden on Sundays.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with se reposer: “Il se repose dans le jardin le dimanche maintenant.” — “He rests in the garden on Sundays.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with se reposer: “Nous nous reposons dans le jardin le dimanche demain.” — “We rest in the garden on Sundays.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with se reposer: “Ils se reposent dans le jardin le dimanche souvent.” — “They rest in the garden on Sundays.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: se reposer now, se reposer later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche tous les jours.” — “I rest in the garden on Sundays.”
Future: “Je me reposerai dans le jardin le dimanche demain.” — “I will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu te reposes dans le jardin le dimanche maintenant.” — “You rest in the garden on Sundays.”
Future: “Tu te reposeras dans le jardin le dimanche demain.” — “You will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous nous reposons dans le jardin le dimanche en classe.” — “We rest in the garden on Sundays.”
Future: “Nous nous reposerons dans le jardin le dimanche demain.” — “We will rest in the garden on Sundays tomorrow.”
Example sentences: se reposer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of se reposer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “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 chaque matin.” — “You rest in the garden on Sundays.”
- “Il se repose dans le jardin le dimanche souvent.” — “He rests in the garden on Sundays.”
- “Nous nous reposons dans le jardin le dimanche maintenant.” — “We rest in the garden on Sundays.”
- “Vous vous reposez dans le jardin le dimanche en général.” — “You rest in the garden on Sundays.”
- “Ils se reposent dans le jardin le dimanche le week-end.” — “They rest in the garden on Sundays.”
Common mistakes with se reposer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je se reposer dans le jardin le dimanche.”
Right: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form repose.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu repose dans le jardin le dimanche.”
Right: “Tu te reposes dans le jardin le dimanche.”
After tu you need reposes, not the je form repose. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je me reposerai dans le jardin le dimanche.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je me repose dans le jardin le dimanche tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (reposerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: 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 the present tense
What is the je form of se reposer in the Present indicative?
- A) reposons
- B) repose
- C) reposez
- D) reposent
What is the tu form of se reposer in the Present indicative?
- A) reposent
- B) reposons
- C) repose
- D) reposes
What is the il/elle form of se reposer in the Present indicative?
- A) reposez
- B) repose
- C) reposons
- D) reposent
What is the nous form of se reposer in the Present indicative?
- A) repose
- B) reposes
- C) reposons
- D) reposent
What is the vous form of se reposer in the Present indicative?
- A) reposez
- B) reposent
- C) repose
- D) reposes
What is the ils/elles form of se reposer in the Present indicative?
- A) reposent
- B) reposez
- C) reposons
- D) repose
What is the gerund of se reposer?
- A) reposerai
- B) repose
- C) en reposant
- D) reposé
What does se reposer mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to go
- D) to rest
Answer key
- B) repose — the je form of se reposer in the present indicative is repose.
- D) reposes — the tu form of se reposer in the present indicative is reposes.
- B) repose — the il/elle form of se reposer in the present indicative is repose.
- C) reposons — the nous form of se reposer in the present indicative is reposons.
- A) reposez — the vous form of se reposer in the present indicative is reposez.
- A) reposent — the ils/elles form of se reposer in the present indicative is reposent.
- C) en reposant — the gerund of se reposer is en reposant.
- D) to rest — se reposer means “to rest” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of se reposer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is repose and the ils form is reposent.
When do I use the present tense of se reposer?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (repose), while the future is for what will happen (reposerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of se reposer?
On the full conjugation page for se reposer, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of se reposer in order, without looking: repose, reposes, repose, reposons, reposez, reposent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using repose, suis reposé and reposerai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- se reposer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- se reposer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Se calmer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Rever conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise se reposer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise se reposer with the interactive tool.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.