Demeurer or rester: remain, stay and live in French
Compare demeurer and rester in an unresolved question, a temporary stay and an address. See useful patterns, home vocabulary and three quiz questions.
In short
Rester is the everyday verb for “stay” or “remain”. Demeurer often sounds more formal when it means “remain”: La question demeure ouverte. It can also mean “live” or “reside”, especially in written descriptions and address questions.
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What is the difference between demeurer and rester?
rester / demeurerto remain in a state
Focus: something continues unchanged
la question reste / demeure ouverte
La question reste ouverte.
The question remains open.
La question demeure ouverte.
The question remains open.
rester ici / deux nuitsto stay
Focus: an everyday stay, often temporary
rester ici / rester deux nuits
Je reste deux nuits chez ma sœur.
I’m staying at my sister’s for two nights.
demeurer à Nantesto live / reside
Focus: where someone has their home
demeurer à + town
Elle demeure à Nantes.
She lives in Nantes.
Où demeurez-vous ?
Where do you live?
For an ordinary conversation about your home, J’habite à Nantes is a straightforward choice. In Je reste chez ma sœur jusqu’à dimanche, the end date makes the temporary stay clear. Translate the whole phrase: English “remain” fits an unresolved question; English “live” fits a home address.
How do you use rester in a sentence?
| French | English | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| Il reste trois places. | There are three places left. | Everyday remaining quantity. |
| Reste ici, s’il te plaît. | Stay here, please. | A direct request to stay. |
| Le résultat demeure incertain. | The outcome remains uncertain. | A formal description of a continuing state. |
| Il n’en demeure pas moins que le délai est court. | The fact remains that the deadline is short. | A set phrase that introduces a point still standing. |
- Lucie
Tu habites maintenant à Nantes ?
Do you live in Nantes now?
- Amir
Non, je reste chez ma sœur cette semaine. J’habite toujours à Angers.
No, I’m staying at my sister’s this week. I still live in Angers.
- Lucie
Et ton projet de déménagement ?
And your plan to move?
- Amir
La date reste à fixer.
The date is still to be decided.
Places to live or stay
Find:
Does rester mean rest in French?
Elle reste calme, mais elle exprime son désaccord.
She stays calm, but she expresses her disagreement.
English “demur” means object: use exprimer son désaccord or émettre une objection. French demeurer means remain or live.
English “rest” is se reposer: Je me repose cet après-midi. French rester says where or in what state you stay: Je reste à la maison. Someone can stay at home while working all day, so these two verbs answer different questions.