French Phrase
Hydrate-toi et reste à l'intérieur.
Meaning
Literally, ‘Hydrate yourself and stay inside.’ It’s a short piece of advice urging someone to drink water and remain indoors, often given during hot weather, a health alert, or a lockdown.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to give informal, friendly health or safety advice to a single person you know well – a friend, a sibling, or a classmate. It works well in contexts like a heat wave warning, a pandemic lockdown reminder, or a sports coach’s quick tip.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Hydrate-toietresteàl'intérieur
Imperative reflexive (Hydrate‑toi)
‘Hydrate‑toi’ is the informal singular imperative of the reflexive verb *s’hydrater*. The reflexive pronoun *toi* follows the verb with a hyphen.
Conjunction (et)
‘et’ simply means ‘and’, linking two commands.
Imperative (reste)
‘Reste’ is the informal singular imperative of *rester* (to stay). No pronoun is needed because the subject ‘you’ is understood.
Prepositional phrase (à l'intérieur)
‘à l'intérieur’ means ‘inside’. The article *l'* contracts with the preposition *à* and the noun *intérieur*.
🗨In Conversation
Hydrate-toi et reste à l'intérieur.
Stay hydrated and stay inside.
D'accord, je vais boire un verre d'eau tout de suite.
Okay, I’ll drink a glass of water right away.
✕Common Mistakes
Hydrate‑vous et reste à l'intérieur.
‘Hydrate‑vous’ is the formal/plural form; use it only when speaking to several people or in a formal setting.
Hydrate-toi et reste à l'intérieur de.
The preposition *de* is unnecessary here; *à l'intérieur* already means ‘inside’. Adding *de* makes the phrase ungrammatical.
Hydrate-toi et reste dans l'intérieur.
‘dans l'intérieur’ is not idiomatic; use *à l'intérieur*.
↔Alternatives
Bois de l'eau et reste à l'intérieur.
Drink water and stay inside.
Hydrate-toi bien et reste chez toi.
Stay well hydrated and stay at home.
N'oublie pas de boire et de rester à l'intérieur.
Don’t forget to drink and stay inside.
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, people more often say *Bois de l'eau* rather than *Hydrate‑toi*, which sounds a bit formal or medical. Also, *reste à l'intérieur* is perfectly correct, but many speakers prefer *reste chez toi* (stay at home) when the advice is about a lockdown. Adjust the level of formality: use *Hydratez‑vous* and *restez à l'intérieur* for a group or a polite address.