Breakdown of Repose-toi près de la bougie.
se reposer
to rest
près de
near to / close to
la bougie
the candle
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Repose-toi près de la bougie.
Why is it Repose-toi with a hyphen instead of using te before the verb?
Since this is the tu (informal 'you') form, shouldn't repose end in an -s?
Normally, yes! The standard present tense is tu te reposes. However, when making commands (the imperative mood), regular -er verbs drop that final -s for the tu form. So, it becomes repose-toi.
Why do we need the reflexive -toi here? Can't I just say Repose près de la bougie?
You need the pronoun because the verb for 'to rest' (to relax) is the reflexive verb se reposer. If you use reposer on its own without a reflexive pronoun, it means 'to put back' or 'to place' an object.