REFLEXIVE VERBS ('SE LAVER')
Study the following :
laver
to wash
raser
to shave
brûler
to burn
perdre
to lose
couper
to cut
préparer
to prepare
amuser
to amuse
habiller
to dress
se laver
se raser
se brûler
se perdre
se couper
se préparer
s'amuser
s'habiller
to wash oneself
to shave oneself
to burn oneself
to lose oneself
to cut oneself
to prepare oneself
to amuse/enjoy oneself
to dress oneself
The French verbs in the second column are being used reflexively. The present tense of a reflexive
verb goes like this :
PRESENT TENSE :
je me lave - I wash myself
tu te rases - you [sing. fam.] shave yourself
il se brûle - he burns himself
elle se prépare - she prepares herself
nous nous amusons - we enjoy ourselves
vous vous habillez - you dress yourself [sing. polite]/yourselves [fam./polite plural]
ils se perdent - they [m.] lose themselves
elles se coupent - they [f.] cut themselves
NOTE : me, te and se become m', t' and s' before a vowel or inaspirate 'h'.
All reflexive verbs use être to form the perfect tense. The past participle agrees in gender and
number with the person or persons performing the reflexive action.
PERFECT TENSE :
je me suis lavé - I [m.] washed myself;
je me suis lavée - I [f.] washed myself;
tu t'es habillé - you [m.sing. fam.] dressed yourself;
tu t'es habillée - you [f.sing. fam.] dressed yourself;
il s'est rasé - he shaved himself;
elle ne s'est pas amusée - she did not enjoy herself;
nous nous sommes préparés - we [m.] prepared ourselves;
nous nous sommes préparées - we [f.] prepared ourselves;
vous ne vous êtes pas perdu - you did not lose yourself [m.sing. polite]
vous ne vous êtes pas perdue - you did not lose yourself [f.sing. polite]
vous ne vous êtes pas perdus - you did not lose yourselves [m. fam./polite plural]
vous ne vous êtes pas perdues - you did not lose yourselves [f. fam./polite plural]
ils se sont brûlés - they [m.] burnt themselves
elles ne se sont pas coupées - they [f.] did not cut themselves
IMPERFECT TENSE :
je me lavais - I used to wash myself OR: I was washing myself
etc.
FUTURE TENSE :
je me laverai - I shall wash myself
etc.
CONDITIONAL TENSE :
je me laverais - I would wash myself
etc.
: In English we don't always add the reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, himself, herself,
oneself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves), but say simply "I wash", "he shaves". In French the
reflexive pronoun must always be used.
Compare : Je me rase = I shave AND: Je rase mon père = I shave my father.
NOTE
Reflexive verbs are much more common in French than in English. Here is a list for reference :
se déshabiller - to undress;
s'endormir - to fall asleep;
se réveiller - to wake up;
se lever - to get up;
se dépêcher - to hurry;
se promener - to go for a walk;
se reposer - to rest;
se coucher - to go to bed;
se tromper - to make a mistake;
s'appeler - to be called;
se marier - to get married;
se débarrasser de - to get rid of;
se servir de - to make use of; se souvenir de - to remember.
It is important to distinguish between 'myself', 'yourself', etc. used reflexively and the same words
used for emphasis. Compare :
Je me lave - I wash myself
AND: Je lave les enfants moi-même = I wash the children myself.
The '-self' words used emphatically are :
moi-même
toi-même
lui-même
elle-même
nous-mêmes
vous-même(s)
eux-mêmes
elles-mêmes
VOCABULARY :
se peigner-to comb one's hair;
se laver les mains-to wash one's hands;
se maquiller-to put on one's make-up;
se brosser les dents- to brush one's teeth.
This is what Paul does each day :
TRANSLATE :
1. He wakes up at 7am.
2. He washes.
3. He shaves.
4. He goes to work.
And now Monique :
5. She gets up at 8am.
6. She takes a shower.
7. She combs her hair.
8. She puts her make-up on.
9. She goes to the station.
This is what you and I do :
10. We wash.
11. We dress quickly.
12. We go for a walk.
13. We go to bed at 10pm.
TRANSLATE :
14. I [f.] have enjoyed myself.
15. You [f.] have not made a mistake.
16. They [f.] are resting.
17. They [m.] have washed the car themselves.
18. We brush our teeth each morning.
Reflexive pronouns are used in sentences where in English we use 'one another' or 'each other' :
Nous nous sommes souvent rencontrés.
We often met (one another).
Les Américains et les Chinois ne se comprennent pas.
The Americans and the Chinese don't understand each other.
NOTE : In the perfect tense, the past participle of the verb (e.g. téléphoné) does not agree with me, se, etc.
when the meaning is 'to myself / himself ' or 'for myself / himself' etc.
Ils se sont rencontrés.=They met each other. Ils se sont téléphoné.=They telephoned (to) each other.