Kilo Lingo
Part of Chapter 7

CEFR A1-A2

Test yourself (26 questions)

French Reflexive Verbs

A reflexive verb is one where the subject acts on itself. French marks this with a pronoun (me, te, se in the singular) that goes before the verb. The pronoun is part of the verb - you can't drop it.

The singular pronouns

At Foundation tier, the focus is on the singular forms:

SubjectReflexive pronoun
jeme
tute
il / elle / onse

Before a vowel, all three elide: m', t', s'.

Conjugating a regular reflexive verb

Take any -er verb and pair it with the reflexive pronoun. The verb conjugates as normal; only the pronoun changes.

se laver (to wash oneself):

SubjectForm
jeje me lave
tutu te laves
il / elleil / elle se lave

The plural (nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils se lavent) follows the same pattern - covered on the intermediate grammar page.

Common reflexive verbs

A small set of verbs are reflexive in French where English uses no pronoun. Worth memorising as a block.

FrenchEnglish
s'appelerto be called
se leverto get up
se coucherto go to bed
se laverto wash (oneself)
s'habillerto get dressed
se brosserto brush (les dents, les cheveux)
se réveillerto wake up
se reposerto rest
se promenerto go for a walk
s'amuserto have fun, enjoy oneself
se dépêcherto hurry
se sentirto feel (well, ill, etc.)
s'asseoirto sit down
se souvenir deto remember

Note the elision: s'appeler, s'habiller, s'amuser all start with vowels, so the se becomes s'.

The reflexive in action

  • Je m'appelle Marc. (My name is Marc.)
  • Tu te lèves à quelle heure? (What time do you get up?)
  • Elle se couche tôt. (She goes to bed early.)
  • Il s'habille rapidement. (He gets dressed quickly.)
  • Je me brosse les dents. (I brush my teeth.)
  • Elle se sent fatiguée. (She feels tired.)

Reflexive vs non-reflexive

The same verb stem can be reflexive or non-reflexive, with a meaning shift.

  • Je lave la voiture. (I wash the car.) - non-reflexive, the object is something else
  • Je me lave. (I wash myself.) - reflexive, the object is the subject
  • Elle réveille les enfants. (She wakes the children.) - non-reflexive
  • Elle se réveille à sept heures. (She wakes up at seven.) - reflexive

The reflexive pronoun is the marker - drop it and the verb stops being reflexive.

Body parts: the article-not-possessive rule

Reflexive verbs are where French most reliably uses the definite article instead of a possessive for body parts.

  • Je me lave les mains. (I wash my hands. Literally: I wash myself the hands.)
  • Il se brosse les dents. (He brushes his teeth.)
  • Elle s'est cassé le bras. (She broke her arm.)

Saying je lave mes mains is grammatical but sounds wrong. The reflexive does the possessing.

Position in negation

The reflexive pronoun stays glued to the verb. Ne goes before the pronoun, pas after the verb.

  • Je ne me lève pas tôt. (I don't get up early.)
  • Elle ne se sent pas bien. (She doesn't feel well.)
  • Tu ne te brosses pas les dents? (You're not brushing your teeth?)

Compound tenses: a flag for the future

When you reach the passé composé (covered in chapter 8), reflexive verbs switch their auxiliary. Where most verbs take avoir, reflexives always take être:

  • Je me suis levé à six heures. (I got up at six.)
  • Elle s'est couchée tard. (She went to bed late.)

Plus an agreement rule on the past participle. The full pattern is on the passé composé page. For Foundation tier you just need to know the flag: reflexives use être in compound tenses, and the past participle agrees.

Worked examples

  • Je m'appelle Sophie et j'habite à Lyon. (My name is Sophie and I live in Lyon.)
  • Tu te lèves à quelle heure le matin? (What time do you get up in the morning?)
  • Il se brosse les dents après chaque repas. (He brushes his teeth after every meal.)
  • Elle ne se sent pas bien aujourd'hui. (She isn't feeling well today.)
  • Je vais me coucher tôt ce soir. (I'm going to go to bed early tonight.)

Common mistakes English speakers make

Dropping the reflexive pronoun: je lève à six heures is wrong, it's je me lève à six heures. The pronoun is mandatory. Using a possessive for body parts: je me lave mes mains is wrong, it's je me lave les mains. And forgetting the elision: je se appelle is wrong, it's je m'appelle.

See also

Practise: test yourself

Fill in the blank

0/10

Fill the gap with the reflexive pronoun and the verb conjugated for the subject.

  1. Je Marie. (s'appeler) (s'appeler, je)

  2. Tu à quelle heure? (se lever) (se lever, tu)

  3. Il les mains. (se laver) (se laver, il)

  4. Nous le soir. (se coucher) (se coucher, nous)

  5. Ils vite. (se dépêcher) (se dépêcher, ils)

  6. Tu les mains le matin? (se laver) (se laver, tu)

  7. Elle le matin. (se lever) (se lever, elle)

  8. Je ne pas tard. (se coucher) (se coucher, je, after ne)

  9. Il Paul. (s'appeler) (s'appeler, il)

  10. Tu pour le train? (se dépêcher) (se dépêcher, tu)

Translation drill

0/8

Translate into French using a reflexive verb.

  1. My name is Paul.

  2. I get up at five.

  3. She washes her hands.

  4. We go to bed late.

  5. What is your name?

  6. He gets up at five in the morning.

  7. I don't go to bed late.

  8. She hurries for the train.

Pick the right one

0/8

Choose the correct reflexive pronoun for each subject.

  1. Je lave.

  2. Tu lèves.

  3. Il couche.

  4. Elle appelle Marie.

  5. Je appelle Paul.

  6. Tu lèves le matin? Non, je ___ lève tard.

  7. On couche tard ce soir.

  8. Nous lavons les mains.

Frequently asked questions

What is a reflexive verb in French?
A verb where the subject and the object are the same person. Se laver (to wash oneself), se lever (to get up), se coucher (to go to bed), s'appeler (to be called). The infinitive carries 'se' to mark it as reflexive, and when you conjugate it the 'se' changes to match the subject: je ME lave, tu TE laves, il SE lave. Without the reflexive pronoun, laver just means 'to wash (something)' - 'je lave la voiture' is non-reflexive (I wash the car), 'je me lave' is reflexive (I wash myself).
Why is 's'appeler' the way you say your name in French?
Literally s'appeler means 'to call oneself'. 'Je m'appelle Marie' is 'I call myself Marie' - i.e. 'my name is Marie'. French uses this reflexive construction where English uses 'to be called'. The pronoun shows the reflexivity (the calling lands back on the speaker), and the verb is otherwise a regular -er verb: je m'appelle, tu t'appelles, il s'appelle, nous nous appelons, vous vous appelez, ils s'appellent.