Present Tense – Reflexive Verbs
This lesson covers the present tense of French reflexive verbs.
What is a reflexive verb?
A reflexive verb is one which reflects back on itself. It is a verb which you ‘do to yourself,’ so to speak, or which the subject does to itself. For example, ‘I wash myself’ and ‘she washes herself’ are both examples of reflexive verbs, where the subject and the object are the same.
English tends to avoid the use of reflexive verbs, whereas in French they are very common.
How do you recognise a reflexive verb in French?
They are made up of two parts: a reflexive pronoun and the verb. In English, a reflexive pronoun is formed by adding ‘-self’ to the words my, your, him, her, one and it; and ‘-selves’ to the words our, them and sometimes also your.
For example: se laver, to wash (oneself).
You’ll notice that this is an ‘-er’ verb in French, which is formed with all the endings as normal. The first part, se, is called a reflexive pronoun.
It changes in exactly the same way that the normal pronoun does to match the person. Let’s see this in action, with the reflexive pronouns highlighted below:
Se laver – ‘To wash (oneself)’
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je me lave | I wash (myself) |
| tu te laves | you wash (yourself) |
| il se lave | he washes (himself) |
| elle se lave | she washes (herself) |
| nous nous lavons | we wash (ourselves) |
| vous vous lavez | you wash (yourself, yourselves) |
| ils se lavent | they wash (themselves) |
| elles se lavent | they wash (themselves) |
S’appeler – ‘To call oneself (be called)’
As mentioned, English tends to avoid reflexive verbs where it can. So the verb, s’appeler, literally means ‘to call oneself,’ although in English we’d more likely say ‘to be called,’ unless we are really making a point, such as: ‘He calls himself a legend!’
You’ll notice also that the ‘e’ is dropped from me, te and se when the verb following it begins with a vowel sound. Let’s see this in practice:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je m’appelle | I am called (literally: I call myself) |
| tu t’appelles | you are called |
| il s’appelle | he is called |
| elle s’appelle | she is called |
| nous nous appelons | we are called |
| vous vous appelez | you are called |
| ils s’appellent | they are called |
| elles s’appellent | they are called |
Other common reflexive verbs
Some of the most common other reflexive verbs include:
| s’abonner à | to subscribe to |
| s’amuser | to enjoy oneself |
| s’appeler | to call oneself, to be called |
| s’approcher | to approach |
| s’arrêter | to stop |
| s’asseoir | to sit down |
| se baigner | to go swimming |
| se coucher | to go to bed |
| se dépêcher | to hurry |
| s’endormir | to fall asleep |
| s’ennuyer | to get bored |
| se fatiguer | to get tired |
| s’habiller | to get dressed |
| s’intéresser à | to be interested in |
| se laver | to wash (oneself), to have a wash |
| se lever | to get up, to stand up |
| se passer | to go, to happen |
| se promener | to go for a walk |
| se rappeler | to remember |
| se reposer | to rest |
| se réveiller | to wake up |
| se taire | to be quiet |
| se tromper | to make a mistake |
| se trouver | to be (situated) |
It’s worth noting the ways in which English avoids the reflexive, with expressions such as ‘get dressed,’ ‘to get tired,’ and ‘to get bored’ or ‘to be called,’ ‘to be interested,’ or ‘to be situated.’
Remember, if you are translating the word ‘get’ from English into French, it is likely that you won’t need to translate the word ‘get’ at all, but you’ll be looking for a reflexive verb!