Revision:Reflexive Verbs

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Reflexive verbs signify that one is doing the action to oneself. For example se reveiller (one wakes oneself up, or more simply in English : one wakes up).

In most tenses, the reflexive pronoun is simply placed before the verb (..je me brosse les dents).

Reflexive pronouns

(je) me

(tu) te

(il/elle/on) se

(nous) nous

(vous) vous

(ils/elles) se

In tenses which use an auxiliary verb, such as the perfect tense, verbs with a reflexive pronoun always use the auxiliary être, and the reflexive pronoun comes before the auxiliary. eg. je me suis reveillé'.

Some common reflexive verbs (by no means an exhaustive list)

s'habiller (to dress oneself)

se reveiller (to wake up)

se lever (to get up)

se brosser (to brush (teeth, hair etc.))

se laver (to wash(hands etc.))

se doucher (to take a shower)

se maquiller (to put on make-up)

se marier (to get married)

se moquer de (to make fun of)

se raser (to shave)

Remember that some verbs are reflexive in English and not in French, and that some are reflexive in French but not in English.

Reflexive verbs in the past tense

Reflexive verbs take 'être' in the simple past tense and therefore also have the usual rules (for être verbs): adding an acute 'e' (é) when necessary; adding an extra 'e' when the person is feminine; and adding an 's' for the plural. They also keep their pronouns (me,te,se etc.). For example, 'je me lave' becomes 'je me suis lavé(e)' and 'nous nous habillons' becomes 'nous nous sommes habillé(e)s'

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