REFLEXIVE VERBS

TABLE DE MATIERES

• Definition

• Examples of relexive verbs

• Comparison with regular verbs

• Formation

DEFINITION

• Reflexive verbs allow one to tell what one does to oneself. (Imagine a mirror reflecting actions you do to yourself.)

• S’APPELER is a reflexive verb meaning “to call oneself”. When you say “Je m’appelle …”, you are saying “I call

myself …”.

EXAMPLES OF REFLEXIVE VERBS

• S’AMUSER = TO HAVE FUN• SE RÉVEILLER = TO WAKE UP• SE LEVER = TO GET ONESELF UP• SE LAVER = TO WASH ONESELF• S’HABILLER = TO DRESS ONESELF• SE PROMENER = TO GO FOR A WALK• SE BAIGNER = TO SUNBATHE• SE NOURRIR = TO NOURISH ONESELF• SE COUCHER = TO GO TO BED

COMPARISON WITH REGULAR VERBS

• Reflexive verbs have a pronoun that agrees with the subject. For example, the “me” in “Je m’appelle” agrees with “je” the way “me/myself” agrees with “I”. This pronoun will be the object.

• Regular verbs have objects that are different from the subject. In the sentence “J’appelle ma mère”, there is no reflexive pronoun. I am not calling myself; “ma mère” is a separate object.

EXAMPLES

• Je M’habille I dress MYSELF.

• J’habille la poupée I dress the doll.

• Nous NOUS lavons We wash ourselves.

• Nous lavons la voiture We wash the car.

FORMATION• The reflexive pronoun SE of the verb

changes to agree with the subject.

je ME nous NOUS

tu TE vous VOUS

il SE elles SE

The pronouns come before the verb in general. The rest of the verb is conjugated normally.

S’AMUSER – TO HAVE FUN(AMUSE ONESELF)

JE M’ AMUSETU T’ AMUSESIL S’ AMUSE

NOUS NOUS AMUSONSVOUS VOUS AMUSEZELLES S’ AMUSENT

SE RÉVEILLER – TO WAKE UP

• Je __________________

• Tu __________________

• Il ___________________

• Nous __________________

• Vous __________________

• Elles ___________________

• When you have a subject and use a reflexive verb in the infinitive (without conjugating it), you still change the pronoun to agree with the subject.

Je vais ME brosser les dents.

(I’m going to brush my teeth.

Nous n’aimons pas NOUS lever tôt.

(We don’t like to get up early.)

• With AFFIRMATIVE commands, the reflexive pronoun follows the verb and a hyphen. TE changes to TOI. Remember you don’t say the subject (TU, NOUS, VOUS) in a command.

Lave-TOI! Wash yourself!Promenons-NOUS! Let’s go for a walk!Dépêchez-VOUS! Hurry yourselves up!

• Negative commands are normal (that is, the pronoun comes before the verb).

Ne T’habille pas comme ça!Don’t dress like that!

Ne VOUS fâchez pas.Don’t get yourself all mad.