Grammaire 2: reflexive verb
On étudie !
Verbes réfléchis
(a) A reflexive verb (un verbe réfléchi) indicates that the action is being performed by the subject on itself. Reflexive verbs are easily identifiable in the infinitive form as they are preceded by se or s’, i.e se brosser, se coucher, s’habiller. In French, many of our daily routines and acts of personal hygiene are expressed with reflexive verbs (to brush oneself, to wash oneself, to lay down, to get dressed). We have been using one since the first week one of the term: s’appeler:
Je m’appelle Catherine (literally translating as: I call myself Catherine).
Tu t’appelles Ronda? (You call yourself Ronda?)
When the subject of a verb is the same as the object of the verb, we have a reflexive verb (un verbe réfléchi). In the 2 examples above, the reflexive pronoun m’ stands for myself and matches the subject je (I); likewise, the t’ stands for yourself and matches with the subject of the sentence tu (you). See more examples below of reflexive verbs in English.
Verbes réfléchis (en anglais)
| Sujet | Verbe | Objet |
|---|---|---|
| He | washes | himself. |
| I | love | myself. |
| They | look at | themselves (in the mirror). |
(b) Here are the most common ones (for a fuller list, see the vocabulary section):
| Français | Anglais |
|---|---|
| s’amuser | to have fun, to enjoy oneself |
| s’ennuyer | to be bored |
| s’habiller | to get dressed |
| s’entraîner | to work out |
| se brosser les dents | to brush one’s teeth |
| se coucher | to go to bed |
| se dépêcher | to hurry, to hurry up |
| se déshabiller | to undress |
| se doucher (=prendre une douche) | to take a shower |
| se laver | to wash oneself |
| se laver le visage | to wash one’s face |
| se lever | to get up |
| se maquiller | to put on make-up |
| se promener (=faire une promenade) | to take a walk |
| se raser | to shave |
| se reposer | to rest |
| se réveiller | to wake up |
| se sécher | to dry oneself |
For every reflexive verb, the reflexive pronoun (i.e., object) always needs to match the subject in gender, number, and person.
Here are the reflexive pronouns you need to remember along with the conjugation of the reflexive verbs se lever and s’amuser:
| Pronoms réfléchis | se lever (to get up) | s’amuser (to have fun) |
|---|---|---|
| me, m’ | je me lève | je m’ amuse |
| te, t’ | tu te lèves | tu t’ amuses |
| se, s’ | il, elle, on se lève | il, elle, on s’ amuse |
| nous | nous nous levons | nous nous amusons |
| vous | vous vous levez | vous vous amusez |
| se, s’ | ils, elles se lèvent | ils, elles s’ amusent |
(c) The reflexive pronoun always goes right before the conjugated verb. Together they form an inseparable “block” (me lève, te lèves, se lève, etc.). When you negate a reflexive verb, you place ne and pas around this block. Let’s look at the example of the verb se préparer (to prepare oneself):
| se préparer (to get ready) | Au négatif (ne…pas) |
|---|---|
| je me prépare | je ne me prépare pas |
| tu te prépares | tu ne te prépares pas |
| il, elle, on se prépare | il, elle, on ne se prépare pas |
| nous nous préparons | nous ne nous préparons pas |
| vous vous préparez | vous ne vous préparez pas |
| ils, elles se préparent | ils, elles ne se préparent pas |
(d) Even when the verb is in the infinitive form, it still needs to have the appropriate reflexive pronoun to match the subject. For example:
J’aime me lever tôt. (I like to get up early.) [J’ = me]
Nous allons nous amuser ce soir. (We are going to have fun tonight.) [Nous = nous]
(e) While most of the verbs presented above are always reflexive, many verbs can be used reflexively and non-reflexively. For example:
regarder (to look [at]) => se regarder (to look at oneself)
laver (to wash) => se laver (to wash oneself)
parler (to talk) => se parler (to talk to oneself)
Regardez ces vidéos pour réviser les verbes pronominaux :
- Les verbes pronominaux.
- Los verbos pronominales (French explained in Spanish)
