Learn French: Respire profondément et repose-toi.

Respire profondément et repose-toi.

Breathe deeply and rest.

Breakdown of Respire profondément et repose-toi.

Questions & Answers about Respire profondément et repose-toi.

Why is there a hyphen in repose-toi instead of saying te repose?

In a positive command, the reflexive pronoun moves after the verb and is attached with a hyphen. Also, the pronoun te changes to the stressed form toi. So, instead of the normal statement tu te reposes, the command becomes repose-toi.

Why don't respire and repose end with an "s"? Doesn't the tu form usually have an "s"?

Yes, normally you would say tu respires and tu te reposes. But in the imperative (command) form, verbs that end in -er drop the final s for the tu pronoun.

Why isn't respire reflexive like repose-toi?

Breathing is an action you do, but not typically "to yourself" in French grammar, so respirer is just a standard verb. Resting, however, uses the reflexive verb se reposer (literally "to rest oneself"). So it needs the reflexive pronoun toi in the command.

How is the word profondément formed?