Reflexive Verbs in
Passé Composé
French 2, Chapter 5
Formation

Reflexive verbs use ETRE as the auxillary verb
in past tense. They also use the reflexive
pronoun just like they did in present tense. This
is how they will start:
Je me suis
 Tu t’es
 Il/elle s’est

Nous nous sommes
Vous vous êtes
Ils/elles se sont
Formation, cont’d

Follow each form of ETRE with a past
participle. Same rules apply as with regular past
tense:
er  é
 ir  i
 re  u

Agreement:

You will add agreement (masc/fem, sing/plural)
to the past participle when the reflexive does not
take a direct object:
EX: Je me suis lavée. (I am a girl)
 BUT: Je me suis lavé les mains. (I washed my hands
– hands is a DO)
/
e

s
es
EXCEPTIONS:

Some reflexive verbs are also REGULAR verbs
– watch out! They are only reflexive when the
action is performed upon the self.

EX: laver –
elle s’est lavée; elle a lavé le chien
(*If it’s part of your body, it’s reflexive)
NEGATIVES

When making a past tense reflexive
NEGATIVE, follow this pattern:

Subject , NE, reflexive pronoun, form of être, PAS,
past participle
EX: je ne me suis pas lavé (e)
 With inversion:


Ne t’es-tu pas lavé (e) ?