Il vaut mieux se reposer quand on est malade.

It is better to rest when you are sick.

Breakdown of Il vaut mieux se reposer quand on est malade.

• être: to be
• quand: when
• se: oneself
• reposer: to rest
• malade: sick
• on: you
• valoir mieux: to be better

Questions & Answers about Il vaut mieux se reposer quand on est malade.

In Il vaut mieux se reposer, what does il refer to? Is it he or it?

Here il is an impersonal subject, like the it in English it is raining.

• It does not mean he and it does not refer to any person or thing.
• It is just there because French normally needs a subject, and the expression il vaut mieux is always used with this dummy il.

So Il vaut mieux… is best understood as It is better (to)… with a non‑referential it.

What exactly does vaut mieux mean, and how is it formed?

Vaut is the 3rd person singular of the verb valoir (to be worth).
Mieux means better.

Together, valoir mieux literally means to be worth better, which corresponds to English to be better or to be preferable.

• Il vaut mieux… → It is better to… / One had better…
• Verb pattern:
  
  • je vaux
  • tu vaux
  • il / elle / on vaut
  • nous valons
  • vous valez
  • ils / elles valent

So Il vaut mieux se reposer = It is better to rest.

Why is it se reposer and not just reposer?

Reposer and se reposer are different:

• Reposer (quelque chose) = to put something down / to rest something
  
  • Je repose le livre sur la table. → I put the book back on the table.
• Se reposer = to rest (yourself), to take a rest
  
  • Je dois me reposer. → I need to rest.

When you mean that a person is resting, French uses the reflexive form se reposer.
In Il vaut mieux se reposer, the idea is to rest (oneself), so the reflexive form is required.

Why is se reposer in the infinitive and not something like se repose or te reposes?

After Il vaut mieux you can have:

1. An infinitive if the subject is generic or the same as the speaker:

   • Il vaut mieux se reposer.
     → It is better to rest.

2. A subordinate clause with que and the subjunctive if you specify who should do it:

   • Il vaut mieux que tu te reposes.
     → It is better that you rest / You had better rest.

In your sentence, the general advice is about people in general (no specific person), so French naturally uses the infinitive se reposer.

How would the sentence change if I want to say it’s better that you rest rather than a general to rest?

You would switch to the que + subjunctive pattern:

• Il vaut mieux que tu te reposes quand tu es malade.

Structure:

• Il vaut mieux que
  • subject + verb in the subjunctive.
• Here: tu te reposes (present subjunctive of se reposer).

So:

• Il vaut mieux se reposer… → General recommendation, no subject stated.
• Il vaut mieux que tu te reposes… → The advice is directed at you.

What does on mean in quand on est malade? Is it we, one, or you?

In this context, on is a generic subject:

• It can mean one, people in general, or informal you.
• Often, in real speech, it feels like a vague you/we/people, depending on context.

So quand on est malade is best understood as:

• when you are sick (general you), or
• when one is ill, or
• when people are ill.

Using on here makes the sentence sound like a general rule rather than talking about a specific person.

Could I say quand nous sommes malades instead of quand on est malade?

Grammatically, yes:

• Il vaut mieux se reposer quand nous sommes malades.

But there is a nuance:

• quand on est malade → general truth about anyone who is sick.
• quand nous sommes malades → sounds more like we, a particular group (you and I, or our family, etc.), talking about ourselves.

In everyday French, on is much more common than nous for this kind of generic statement.

Why is est in the present tense (on est malade) if we are talking about sickness in general?

French uses the present tense to state general truths or rules, just like English:

• Quand on est malade, il faut se reposer.
  → When you are sick, you need to rest.
• Quand il fait froid, je mets un manteau.
  → When it is cold, I put on a coat.

The present tense here does not refer to a specific moment; it describes what usually or always happens under those conditions.

Can I replace quand on est malade with lorsqu’on est malade? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Il vaut mieux se reposer lorsqu’on est malade.

Differences:

• quand → neutral, very common in speech and writing.
• lorsque → a bit more formal or literary, more frequent in writing, still perfectly normal.

In terms of meaning, here they are essentially equivalent. The choice is mostly one of style.

Is it possible to say C’est mieux de se reposer quand on est malade instead of Il vaut mieux se reposer…? Do they mean the same thing?

They are close, but not identical in feel.

• Il vaut mieux se reposer…

  • Very standard and idiomatic.
  • Often sounds like one had better rest / it is preferable to rest.
  • Slightly more neutral and commonly taught as the standard pattern.

• C’est mieux de se reposer…

  • Understood and used, especially in informal speech.
  • Grammatically simpler (like English it’s better to).
  • Some speakers find c’est mieux de + infinitif less elegant or slightly colloquial; many learners still hear it a lot.

In careful or written French, Il vaut mieux se reposer… is usually preferred.

Why is the order Il vaut mieux se reposer quand on est malade and not Il vaut mieux, quand on est malade, se reposer?

Both orders are grammatically possible:

1. Il vaut mieux se reposer quand on est malade.

   • The most natural, everyday order.
   • Main idea first (it is better to rest), then condition (when you are sick).

2. Il vaut mieux, quand on est malade, se reposer.

   • Also correct, but sounds more emphatic or written, with commas indicating slight pauses.
   • Feels a bit heavier or more formal.

In normal speech and basic writing, the first order is by far the most common.

How does the reflexive pronoun change if I change the verb se reposer to match a different subject?

For se reposer in the infinitive, the reflexive pronoun matches the implied subject:

• 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.

In Il vaut mieux se reposer, the implied subject is people in general, so French uses se (3rd person form) in the infinitive. If you make it specific with que:

• Il vaut mieux que tu te reposes.
• Il vaut mieux que nous nous reposions.

The reflexive pronoun always agrees with the subject of the verb.