What does rêver in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word rêver in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use rêver in French.

The word rêver in French means dream, daydream, dream, dream about, dream + [indicative], dream that + [indicative], dream about , dream of , daydream about, dream of , wish for , hope for, dream + [indicative], dream that + [indicative], imagine, desire, make up, make up, be the stuff dreams are made of, be the stuff of dreams, Impress me!, Let's not get carried away!, you must be joking, We can dream, can't we?. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word rêver

dream

verbe intransitif (faire des rêves)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Le chien bouge la patte pendant qu'il dort : je crois qu'il est en train de rêver.
The dog is moving his paw in his sleep; I think he is dreaming.

daydream

verbe intransitif (laisser aller sa pensée, rêvasser)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Elle ne fait rien et passe son temps à rêver.
She does nothing, and spends her time daydreaming.

dream

verbe intransitif (familier (ne pas être réaliste)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Tu rêves ! C'est impossible !
You're dreaming! That's impossible!

dream about

verbe transitif indirect (faire un songe)

Cette nuit, j'ai rêvé d'un accident survenu voilà longtemps.
Last night, I dreamt about an accident that happened a long time ago.

dream + [indicative], dream that + [indicative]

(voir en songe)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Cette nuit, j'ai rêvé que je passais un examen de maths et que je n'avais rien révisé.

dream about , dream of , daydream about

verbe transitif indirect (penser)

Lucie passait son temps à rêver au prince charmant.
Lucy spent her time daydreaming about Prince Charming.

dream of , wish for , hope for

verbe transitif indirect (espérer, souhaiter)

Nous rêvons d'un monde meilleur.
We dream of a better world.

dream + [indicative], dream that + [indicative]

(espérer, souhaiter)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Je rêve qu'un jour, il n'y ait plus de guerre.

imagine

verbe transitif (imaginer)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Il a rêvé qu'il gagnait la course.
He dreamed that he was winning the race.

desire

verbe transitif (souhaiter, désirer)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Peu sont ceux qui ont la vie qu'ils ont rêvée.
Few people have the life they dreamed of.

make up, make up

verbe transitif (imaginer de toute pièce)

(phrasal verb, transitive, separable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, divisible--for example, "call off" [=cancel], "call the game off," "call off the game.")
Elle a certainement rêvé tout ce qu'elle raconte !
I'm sure she's dreamed up everything she's saying!

be the stuff dreams are made of, be the stuff of dreams

locution verbale (donner fortement envie)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Une piscine intérieure, ça fait rêver !
An indoor swimming pool - that's the stuff dreams are made of!

Impress me!

(Impressionne-moi !)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
C'est à toi de jouer. Fais-moi rêver !

Let's not get carried away!

(il ne faut pas s'emballer)

you must be joking

(ce n'est pas possible !)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

We can dream, can't we?

(Pourquoi ne pas tenter ?)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of rêver in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.