REFLEXIVE VERBS
TABLE DE MATIERES
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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
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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’ AMUSE
TU T’ AMUSES
IL S’ AMUSE
NOUS NOUS AMUSONS
VOUS VOUS AMUSEZ
ELLES S’ AMUSENT
SE RÉVEILLER – TO WAKE UP
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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!
Promenons-NOUS!
Dépêchez-VOUS!
Wash yourself!
Let’s go for a walk!
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.