Someone leaves their chair and rises to their feet: they stand up. The same expression can also describe being in an upright position.

The idea

Use stand up for rising or being on your feet. The past is stood up. In is standing up, the person may already be standing. After can or cannot, use the base form stand.

Examples

  • When the music ended, Lea stood up.
  • Please stand up slowly.
  • Omar is standing up at the back.
  • We stood up to let the others pass.
  • I cannot stand up in this tiny tent.
  • She stood up and moved her chair closer.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic English voice on your device. Quality and availability vary; it does not assess pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not add -ed to make standed. Also, stood me up can mean failed to meet me as arranged; a person object and the context may change the meaning.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. Yesterday Lea ___ up when the music ended. (stood / standed)

    Show answer or example answer

    stood

    Stood is the irregular past of stand; yesterday fixes the past context.

  2. Choose the correct option. I cannot ___ up in this tiny tent. (stand / stood)

    Show answer or example answer

    stand

    After cannot, use the base form stand, not the past form.

  3. Ask the listener to rise from a chair onto their feet. Please ___. (stand up / sit down)

    Show answer or example answer

    stand up

    Stand up asks the listener to rise; sit down would ask for the opposite movement.

Use it today

Describe someone standing at the back of a room. Then contrast two people: one stood up, while the other stayed seated.