Les verbe s pr o n om i n au x
Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça??
In French, there are a group of verbs called PRONOMINALS.
Pronominal verbs fall into three major classes based on their meaning:
reflexive, idiomatic, and reciprocal. You have probably already seen the
pronominal verb s'appeler (Comment t'appelles-tu? Comment vous
appelez-vous?).
Comment est-ce que je les utilise?!
To conjugate pronominal verbs in the present tense, you need to pay
attention to both the pronoun and the verb form.
The verb is conjugated normally (here an -er verb) with addition of the
reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nous, vous, se.
se laver
to wash oneself
Je
me
lave
Nous
nous
lavons
Tu
te
laves
Vous
vous
lavez
Il/Elle/On
se
lave
Ils/Elles
se
lavent
C’est quoi, l’ordre de tous ces pronoms?!
Like other object pronouns, the reflexive pronouns normally precede the
conjugated verb.
In inverted questions and negative sentences, the reflexive pronouns
remain before the conjugated verb.
S’amusent-ils?
Ils ne s’amusent pas.
Ne s’amusent-ils pas?
Vous levez-vous tôt le samedi ?
Je ne me lève pas tôt.
Reflexive verbs
Pronominal verbs often express reflexive actions, that is, the subject performs the
action on itself. If the subject performs the action on someone else, the verb is not
reflexive. Note that English does not indicate reflexive meaning if it can be inferred
from the context. In French, however, it must be explicitly stated by using a reflexive
pronoun. Here is a list of common reflexive verbs:
s'asseoir
s'appeler
s'arrêter
se baigner
se bronzer
se brosser
se coucher
se déshabiller
to sit (down)
to be called
to stop
to bathe
to tan
to brush
to go to bed
to get undressed
se doucher
s'habiller
se laver
se lever
se maquiller
se promener
se raser
se réveiller
to shower
to get dressed
to wash
to get up
to (put on) make up
to take a walk
to shave
to wake up
Idiomatic verbs
Some pronominal verbs are idiomatic and do not represent reflexive actions per se.
s'amuser (to have fun) and se reposer (to rest) are examples of pronominal verbs with
idiomatic meanings. The following list includes common idiomatic pronominal verbs:
s’en aller
s'amuser (à)
se dépêcher (de)
s'endormir
s'ennuyer (à/de)
s'entendre
se fâcher (contre)
se marier (avec)
se moquer de
to leave, to go away
to have fun
to hurry
to fall asleep
to be bored
to get along
to get angry
to get married
to make fun of
se passer
se reposer
se sentir
se soucier (de)
se souvenir (de)
se taire
se tromper
se trouver
to happen
to rest
to feel
to care about
to remember
to be silent
to make a mistake
to be (situated)
Reciprocal verbs
A third category of pronominal verbs expresses a reciprocal action between more than
one person, s'aimer or se parler, for example. The English equivalent often uses the
phrase 'each other' to represent this reciprocal action. Here is a list of common
reciprocal verbs:
s'aimer
se détester
se battre
se disputer
s'embrasser
se parler
to love each other
to hate each other
to fight
to argue
to kiss
to talk to each other
se quitter
se regarder
se retrouver
se téléphoner
other
to leave each other
to look at each other
to meet each other
to telephone each