épousez

Épousez is a French verb form that functions as the second-person plural present indicative of épouser and as the imperative form for the vous subject. Épouser means to marry someone, i.e., to take a person as a spouse. It is a transitive verb and normally takes a direct object referring to a person (for example, “Elle épouse son voisin”). The form épousez is also used in the imperative to give a direct command, as in “Épousez-la,” meaning “Marry her.”

In addition to its literal sense, épouser can be used figuratively to mean embracing or adopting something, such as a cause or an idea (épouser une cause, épouser une opinion).

Conjugation notes and variants: the present indicative forms include je épouse, tu épouses, il/elle épouse, nous épousons, vous épousez, ils/elles épousent; the imperative forms are épouse (tu), épousons (nous), épousez (vous). The past participle is épousé (with feminine épousée in agreement). The word is closely related to the noun époux (husband) and épouser can be contrasted with se marier, which is used intransitively to mean “to get married.”

Usage considerations: épouser is a standard, formal French verb used in both everyday and literary contexts. In everyday speech, speakers often use se marier to describe the act of getting married from a reflexive perspective (Ils se marient), while épouser emphasizes the act of taking someone as a spouse.