Breakdown of Ton dos est fatigué, repose-toi.
être
to be
fatigué
tired
ton
your (ton, ta, tes)
se reposer
to rest
le dos
the back
Questions & Answers about Ton dos est fatigué, repose-toi.
Why is there a hyphen and the word toi in repose-toi?
This is a positive command (imperative) using the reflexive verb se reposer (to rest). When giving a positive command, the reflexive pronoun moves after the verb and attaches with a hyphen. Also, the pronoun te changes to its stressed form toi.
Why is it repose-toi and not reposes-toi? Doesn't the tu form usually end in an s?
Yes, the normal present tense form is tu te reposes. However, for regular -er verbs like reposer, you drop the final s in the tu command form. That is why it becomes repose-toi.
I thought French used le or la for body parts. Why is it ton dos here instead of le dos?
You usually use definite articles like le for body parts when the owner is already obvious, often with reflexive verbs. But when the body part is the main subject of the sentence doing the action or having a state, as it is here, you use a possessive adjective (ton) just like in English.
Does the word dos change if it is plural?
No, because dos already ends in an s, its spelling stays exactly the same in the plural. For example, your backs would be vos dos. The s is silent in both the singular and the plural.
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