REFLEXIVE VERBS

USE AND CONJUGATION

• Strickly speaking, the term reflexive verb ought to refer only to verbs whose direct or indirect object, expressed by one or other of the conjunctive personal pronouns me, te, se,nous or

• vous, refers to the subject of the same verb; e.g. Jacques se lave.- James is washing (himself) or James is having a bath. Sophie se lave.- Sophia is washing (herself) or Sophia is having a bath.

• However, in practice the term also covers reciprocal verbs, i.e. those expressing actions that the various individuals included in the subject do to one another;

• E.g. Nous nous aimons.-We love one another. Ils s’écrivent souvent.- They often write to each other.

• Reflexive verbs are very common in French and often denote actions that people do to themselves, either deliberately or by accident.

• A number of verbs are used only reflexively, and in some of these the reflexive pronoun se is virtually meaningless and untranslatable in English.

• Among such verbs are: s’abstenir- to abstain, refrain; s’accroupir- to crouch; s’empresser- to hasten, bustle; s’évader- to escape; s’évanouir- to faint;

• se souvenir(de)- to remember; s’asseoir-to sit down; se lever-to get up; se coucher- to go to bed; se laver- to wash or to have a bath;

• se faire mal- to hurt oneself; s’en aller-to go away; se réveiller-to wake up; se dépêcher- to hurry (up)

• The reflexive pronoun se is part of the verb and can never be omitted.

• Many actions that are considered reflexive in French are not so in English.

• se souvenir, se rappeler- to remember

• se passer- to happen

• It is also important to note that many verbs are both reflexive and non reflexive, according to their meaning:

• Example: Je réveille les enfants le matin.- I wake the children up in the morning.

• But: Je me réveille de très bonne heure.- I wake up very early.

• Here is a list of some of the more common verbs of this kind:

• sentir-to smell of smthg. se sentir- to feel

• trouver – to find se trouver- to be (situated)

• perdre-to lose se perdre-to get lost

• ennuyer-to annoy s’ennuyer-to be bored

• passer- to go past,to spend (time) se passer- to happen

• demander- to ask se demander- to wonder

Conjugation of some reflexive verbs

• In their conjugation, the reflexive pronoun se changes according to the subject personal pronoun (first and second persons singular and plural) to:

• me, te, nous, vous respectively.

• me, te and se become m’, t’ and s’ respectively when they are placed before verbs beginning with a vowel.

s’asseoir-to sit down

• Je m’assieds Tu t’assieds Il/Elle s’assied Nous nous asseyons Vous vous asseyez Ils/Elles s’asseyent

Or

• Je m’assois Tu t’assois Il/Elle s’assoit Nous nous assoyons Vous vous assoyez Ils/Elles s’assoient

se lever-to get up

• Je me lève Tu te lèves Il/Elle se lève Nous nous levons Vous vous levez Ils/Elles se lèvent

se sentir-to feel

• Je me sens Tu te sens Il/Elle se sent Nous nous sentons Vous vous sentez Ils/Elles se sentent

s’en aller-to go away

• Je m’en vais-I am going away

• Tu t’en vas – You are going away

• Il /Elle s’en va – He/She is going away

• Nous nous en allons- We are going away

• Vous vous en allez- You are going away

• Ils /Elles s’en vont – They are going away

Se peigner- to comb one’s hair

• Je me peigne-I comb my hair or I am combing my hair

• Tu te peignes- You comb your hair or You are combing your hair

• Il/Elle se peigne-He/She combs his/her hair

He/She is combing his/her hair

Nous nous peignons-We comb our hair or We are combing our hair

• Vous vous peignez- You comb your hair or You are combing your hair

• Ils/Elles se peignent –They comb their hair or They are combing their hair

Some reflexive verbs

denoting actions people do to themselves deliberately

or accidentally

• Je me lave les mains- I wash my hands or I am washing my hands

• Elle se brosse les dents- She brushes her teeth or She is brushing her teeth

• Il se casse la jambe quand il joue au football- He breaks his leg when he plays football.