Learn Hardcore French: Paul veut se reposer maintenant.

se is a reflexive pronoun: it shows that the action comes back onto the subject (Paul rests himself).
reposer alone usually means “to put (something) down again” or “to rest (something)”. For example:
- Je repose le livre sur la table. = I put the book back on the table.

So for the meaning “to rest” (take a break, relax, stop being active), you generally need the reflexive form se reposer.

What exactly does se do in se reposer?

se is the third-person reflexive pronoun. It corresponds roughly to himself / herself / itself / themselves in English, depending on who the subject is.

In Paul veut se reposer, the logic is:

Paul (subject)
se (reflexive pronoun referring back to Paul)
reposer (to rest)

Together: Paul wants to rest himself → “Paul wants to rest.”

For other persons, se changes:

Je veux me reposer. (I want to rest.)
Tu veux te reposer. (You want to rest.)
Il / Elle / On veut se reposer. (He/She/One wants to rest.)
Nous voulons nous reposer. (We want to rest.)
Vous voulez vous reposer. (You want to rest.)
Ils / Elles veulent se reposer. (They want to rest.)

Why is it veut and not veux?

Both veux and veut come from the verb vouloir (“to want”), but they’re used with different subjects.

Present tense of vouloir:

Je veux (I want)
Tu veux (You want – singular/informal)
Il / Elle / On veut (He/She/One wants)
Nous voulons (We want)
Vous voulez (You want – plural/formal)
Ils / Elles veulent (They want)

Since the subject is Paul (third person singular), you must use veut:
Paul veut se reposer.

Why is se reposer in the infinitive form after veut?

In French, after verbs like vouloir (to want), pouvoir (to be able to), devoir (must, have to), the following verb is usually in the infinitive (unconjugated) form.

Pattern:

[conjugated modal verb] + [infinitive verb]

Examples:

Paul veut se reposer. (wants to rest)
Paul peut se reposer. (can rest)
Paul doit se reposer. (has to rest)

So you conjugate vouloir (veut) and leave se reposer in its infinitive form.

Why is there no de or à between veut and se reposer?

Some French verbs require a preposition (de or à) before another verb in the infinitive, but vouloir does not.

Compare:

Paul veut se reposer. (no preposition)
Paul a décidé de se reposer. (decided to rest)
Paul pense à se reposer. (is thinking about resting)

So with vouloir, it’s directly:

vouloir + infinitive → veut se reposer, not veut de se reposer or veut à se reposer.

Can maintenant go in a different position in the sentence?

Yes. Maintenant (“now”) is quite flexible in French. All of these are possible, with slight differences in emphasis:

Paul veut se reposer maintenant.
Neutral, very common.
Maintenant, Paul veut se reposer.
Emphasizes “now” as a contrast: Now, Paul wants to rest (maybe before he didn’t).
Paul, maintenant, veut se reposer.
More literary/marked; emphasizes “now” and “Paul”.

The most natural everyday version is the original:
Paul veut se reposer maintenant.

How do I say “I want to rest now” or “They want to rest now” in the same pattern?

Just change the subject and match the conjugation of vouloir and the reflexive pronoun:

Je veux me reposer maintenant.
I want to rest now.
Tu veux te reposer maintenant.
You want to rest now. (singular/informal)
Il / Elle veut se reposer maintenant.
He / She wants to rest now.
Nous voulons nous reposer maintenant.
We want to rest now.
Vous voulez vous reposer maintenant.
You want to rest now. (plural or formal)
Ils / Elles veulent se reposer maintenant.
They want to rest now.

Does the sentence change if the person is female, e.g. “Marie wants to rest now”?

In the present tense, the sentence looks exactly the same structurally; only the name changes:

Marie veut se reposer maintenant.

The verb veut and the reflexive pronoun se do not change form just because the subject is feminine.

Gender would matter if you changed tense and used a participle, e.g. in the passé composé:

Marie s’est reposée. (extra e for feminine)
Paul s’est reposé. (masculine form, no extra e)

But in the present tense Paul veut se reposer maintenant / Marie veut se reposer maintenant, there is no visible gender difference in the verbs.

How would I say the sentence in the past or in the future?

Here are some common options:

Past:

Paul a voulu se reposer.
Paul wanted to rest. (completed wanting at some point)
Paul voulait se reposer.
Paul wanted to rest. (ongoing desire in the past; more descriptive)

Future:

Paul voudra se reposer.
Paul will want to rest.

More natural future using “going to” idea:

Paul va vouloir se reposer.
Paul is going to want to rest.

If you instead want to focus on the resting itself in the past:

Paul s’est reposé.
Paul rested. / Paul had a rest.

What’s the difference between se reposer, se détendre, and dormir?

They all relate to rest/relaxation but with different nuances:

se reposer = to rest, to take a break, to stop activity
- Not necessarily sleeping: you might just sit quietly, lie down, stop working.
se détendre = to relax, to unwind
- More about mental or physical relaxation (watch TV, take a bath, listen to music).
dormir = to sleep
- Actually going to sleep, not just resting.

So:

Paul veut se reposer. = He wants a rest (maybe a break from work).
Paul veut se détendre. = He wants to relax (unwind).
Paul veut dormir. = He wants to sleep.

How do I make this sentence negative: “Paul doesn’t want to rest now”?

Use ne … pas around the conjugated verb (veut). The reflexive pronoun and infinitive stay together:

Paul ne veut pas se reposer maintenant.
= Paul does not want to rest now.

Structure:

Subject: Paul
ne
- conjugated verb: ne veut pas
Reflexive infinitive: se reposer
Time adverb: maintenant

How do I turn this into a yes–no question: “Does Paul want to rest now?”

You have three common options, with slightly different levels of formality:

Intonation only (informal speech):
- Paul veut se reposer maintenant ?
  Just raise your voice at the end.
Est-ce que (neutral and very common):
- Est-ce que Paul veut se reposer maintenant ?
Inversion (more formal/written):
- Paul veut-il se reposer maintenant ?

All mean: “Does Paul want to rest now?”

How is veut se reposer pronounced, especially the link between words?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA: [pɔl vø sʁəpoze mɛ̃tənɑ̃]

Key points:

Paul = [pɔl] (like “pol” in “Poland” but shorter)
veut = [vø] (similar to the vowel in British English “fur” but with rounded lips)
se = [sə] (like “suh”)
reposer = [ʁəpoze] (the French r at the back of the throat; stress is fairly even)
maintenant = [mɛ̃tənɑ̃] (the -ain- is a nasal vowel, no clear n sound)

There is no liaison between veut and se here; you don’t pronounce a t:

veut se → [vø sə], not [vøt sə].