réveillez

Réveillez is a French verb form derived from réveiller, meaning to wake up or to awaken. Specifically, it is the second-person plural present indicative form (vous réveillez) and, more commonly in everyday use, the imperative form that instructs a group or a formal singular addressee to wake up: Réveillez ! or Réveillez-les when addressing others to wake them.

The verb réveiller is transitive; it typically requires a direct object, as in Réveillez les enfants. It can be used both physically—causing someone to wake from sleep—and metaphorically, such as réveiller l’intérêt (to arouse interest) or réveiller une question (to raise a question). The reflexive imperative form is réveillez-vous, used to tell someone to wake themselves up.

Etymology traces réveiller to Old French reveillier, formed with the prefix re- and the noun veille (watchfulness). The root veille itself comes from a Latin origin related to staying awake, vigilia.

In addition to its imperative and present indicative uses, réveiller appears in various tenses and moods through standard French conjugation patterns. The form réveillons (nous) and réveilles (tu) illustrate the same verb family, while the imperative remains a frequent tool in instructions, slogans, and everyday commands.

Common translations of réveiller in English include “to wake up,” “to awaken,” or “to rouse,” with réveiller used for both physical awakening and figurative awakenings of interest or awareness.