levèrent

Levèrent is a French verb form found in the past historic (passé simple) and corresponds to the third-person plural of the verb lever in its non-pronominal or reflexive use. As a standalone form, levèrent indicates a completed action in the past: they raised, they lifted, or in a reflexive sense, they rose or got up (as in ils se levèrent).

Etymology and form. Lever comes from Old French lever and ultimately from Latin levare, meaning to lift or raise. In the passé simple, -er verbs typically take endings that include -èrent for the third-person plural, yielding levèrent. The form can occur with or without a reflexive pronoun: ils levèrent [quelque chose] and ils se levèrent, with the latter meaning they got up.

Usage and style. Levèrent is predominantly literary and historical in tone, because the passé simple is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé is preferred. It appears in novels, chronicles, historical accounts, and formal writing to convey narrative distance or to present a sequence of past events. The verb can also appear in phrases indicating movement or ascent, such as raising obstacles, lifting objects, or rising from a seated or prone position.

Examples. Ils levèrent les voiles et naviguèrent vers le large. Ils se levèrent tôt pour commencer le travail. The first sentence illustrates transitive use (to raise/hoist sails); the second shows a reflexive sense (to rise/get up).

See also. Lever as a base verb; lever in other tenses and moods; related noun levée, meaning a lifting, an uprising, or, in geography, a riverbank.