A verb is considered reflexive if the subject and the object of the verb are the same. This means that the subject is doing the action to itself, not to something or someone else. For instance, “I wash myself” is reflexive, while “I wash my car” is not reflexive.
Some verbs in French are commonly used in the reflexive form. Let us take a look at one example that you may be familiar with. The verb “appeler” means “to call,” e.g., “Ma mère m’appelle tous les vendredis” (My mom calls me every Friday).
However, the reflexive form of the verb “s’appeler,” which literally means “to call oneself,” is used to express one’s name. For instance, “Je m’appelle Pierre” means “My name is Pierre,” which is literally “I call myself Pierre.”
A reflexive verb is formed by preceding the verb in the infinitive with “se” or “s’” before a vowel or mute “h,” often translated as “oneself.”
Conjugation
There are many verbs in French that have reflexive forms. We will discuss some examples; however, let us first learn how to conjugate reflexive verbs. Consider the verb “se laver” (to wash oneself) as an example.
| Object Personal Pron. | e.g., se laver | |
| je | me | lave |
| tu | te | laves |
| il/elle/on | se | lave |
| nous | nous | lavons |
| vous | vous | lavez |
| ils/elles | se | lavent |
As shown in the table, we add the object personal pronoun before the verb. Note that the subject and object personal pronouns are of the same gender and number because the subject and the object are essentially the same.
Examples
Remember that when the verb is used in reflexive form, the infinitive is preceded with “se,” e.g., “se laver.” Here are more examples of reflexive verbs.
| se lever | to get up | s’ennuyer | to get bored |
| se fâcher | to get mad | s’arrêter | to stop oneself |
| s’amuser | to have fun | se doucher | to take a shower |
| se preparer s’apprêter | to get ready | se brosser | to brush (one’s hair or teeth) |
| se coucher | to go to bed | se coiffer | to fix one’s hair |
| se reposer | to rest | se rassembler | to gather |
| se relaxer | to relax | se perdre | to get lost |
| se faire mal | to hurt oneself | s’inquiéter (de) | to worry (about) |
| se promener | to walk | se raser | to shave |
| se souvenir | to remember | se réjouir | to rejoice |
| se dépêcher | to hurry | se remettre (de) | to recover |
| s’asseoir | to sit down | se sentir | to feel |
| se fouler | to twist or sprain | se déshabiller | to undress oneself |
| se fatiguer | to get tired | se réveiller | to wake up |
| se saouler | to get drunk | s’habiller | to get dressed |
| se peigner | to comb one’s hair | se nuire | to harm oneself |
| se noyer | to drown | se moucher | to blow one’s nose |
| se marier | to get married | se maquiller | to put on makeup |
| s’intéresser à | to be interested in | s’habituer à | to get used to |
| s’imaginer | to imagine | s’inscrire à | to enroll or register |
| se fier à | to trust | se faire | to make oneself (a coffee, meal, etc.) |
| s’enrhumer | to catch a cold | s’énerver | to get annoyed |
| s’endormir | to fall asleep | se couper | to cut oneself |
| s’éloigner | to move away | s’effrayer | to be frightened |
Let us look at some sentence examples:
| Je m’ennuie vite à la maison. | I get bored fast at home. |
| Elle se lève toujours tôt. | She always gets up early. |
| Nous nous amusons beaucoup ensemble. | We have a lot of fun together. |
| Je me rase deux fois par semaine. | I shave twice a week. |
One can add the reflexive pronoun to verbs that are not usually reflexive to make them reflexive, for example:
| se parler | to speak to each other | se voir | to see each other |
| se comprendre | to understand each other | s’acheter | to buy oneself something |
Some verbs are used only in reflexive form, such as “se suicider” (to commit suicide).
Change of Meaning in Reflexive Form
Some verbs change their meaning when they are used in reflexive form, for example:
| ennuyer | to bore | s’ennuyer | to get bored |
| coucher | to lay down | se coucher | to lie down or go to bed |
| marier | to join in marriage | se marier | to get married |
| endormir | to put to sleep | s’endormir | to fall asleep |
Auxiliary “Être” in Conjugation of Compound Tenses
Finally, keep in mind that all reflexive verbs use the auxiliary “être” when conjugated in the compound past, regardless of the auxiliary used by the non-reflexive form of the verb. For example:
| Je me suis ennuyé hier soir. | I got bored last night. |
| Elle s’est réveillée tôt aujourd’hui. | She woke up early today. |
| Nous nous sommes beaucoup amusés hier. | We had a lot of fun yesterday. |
| Je me suis rasé la semaine dernière. | I shaved last week. |
| Elles se sont veus par hasard. | They saw each other by accident. |
Remember that when “être,” is used as an auxiliary, the past participle takes the treatment of an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject.
Next: Expressions Using “Avoir” & “Faire”
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