Reflexive Verbs (Present Tense)

Reflexive verbs (present tense) in French

This article explains what reflexive (pronominal) verbs are in French, when and why you use them, how to form them in the present tense, where to put the reflexive pronoun (including in negatives and questions), and common confusions. Plenty of natural examples are given so you can see how these verbs work in real sentences.

What is a reflexive verb?

A reflexive verb (verbe pronominal) is a verb that uses a reflexive pronoun to show that the subject does the action to itself. In English you often use "myself, yourself, himself," etc.; in French you use me, te, se, nous, vous.

- French: Je me lave. (I wash myself.)
- English: I wash myself.

A reflexive verb is formed from an infinitive with the pronoun se + verb: se laver, se lever, s'habiller, s'appeler.

Key idea: In the present tense you conjugate the verb normally and put the correct reflexive pronoun immediately before the conjugated verb.

When and why do French verbs become reflexive?

Reflexive (pronominal) verbs fall into several categories:

- Reflexive in the strict sense: the subject acts on itself.
- Elle se brosse les dents. (She brushes her teeth.)

- Reciprocal: two or more people do the action to each other (they "each other").
- Ils se parlent. (They speak to each other.)

- Idiomatic/pronominal: the verb’s meaning is different (or only exists) with se.
- Il s'enfuit. (He runs away.)
- Je m'appelle Marc. (My name is Marc — literally: I call myself Marc.)

- Passive or impersonal sense (pronominal passive): se can make the verb passive-like when no agent is stated.
- Ce livre se lit facilement. (This book reads easily / is easily read.)

- Change of state / reflexive for body or emotions: se réveiller, se fâcher, se calmer.
- Nous nous fâchons. (We get angry.)

How do you form reflexive verbs in the present tense? (pronouns and conjugation)

Reflexive pronouns

The reflexive pronoun matches the subject:

- je -> me (m' before vowel): je me / je m'
- tu -> te (t' before vowel)
- il/elle/on -> se (s' before vowel)
- nous -> nous
- vous -> vous
- ils/elles -> se (s' before vowel)

Formation rule (present tense):
Take the infinitive se + verb. Conjugate the verb for the subject, and put the matching reflexive pronoun directly before the conjugated verb.

Example with se laver (regular -er verb):
- Je me lave. (I wash myself.)
- Tu te laves. (You wash yourself.)
- Il/elle/on se lave. (He/she/one washes himself/herself/oneself.)
- Nous nous lavons. (We wash ourselves.)
- Vous vous lavez. (You wash yourself / You wash yourselves.)
- Ils/elles se lavent. (They wash themselves.)

Pronoun elision before vowels or mute h

When the verb begins with a vowel or mute h, me, te, se contract:
- Je m'habille. (I get dressed.)
- Il s'appelle Pierre. (He calls himself Pierre / His name is Pierre.)

Spelling-change verbs in pronominal forms

Pronominal verbs follow the same spelling changes as their non-pronominal counterparts. Examples in the present tense:

- s'appeler (double l):
- Je m'appelle, Tu t'appelles, Il s'appelle, Nous nous appelons, Vous vous appelez, Ils s'appellent.

- se lever (e -> è in stressed syllables):
- Je me lève, Tu te lèves, Il se lève, Nous nous levons, Vous vous levez, Ils se lèvent.

- s'ennuyer (y -> ie in some forms):
- Je m'ennuie, Tu t'ennuies, Il s'ennuie, Nous nous ennuyons, Vous vous ennuyez, Ils s'ennuient.

Reflexive pronoun + infinitive (with another conjugated verb)

When a reflexive verb follows another conjugated verb (aller, pouvoir, vouloir, etc.), put the reflexive pronoun before the infinitive, not before the conjugated verb:
- Je vais me laver. (I am going to wash myself.)
- Il veut se reposer. (He wants to rest.)
- Nous devons nous dépêcher. (We must hurry.)

Where do reflexive pronouns go? (positioning, negation, and questions)

1) Normal statement (affirmative indicative): pronoun before verb
- Tu te laves chaque matin. (You wash yourself every morning.)

2) Negation (ne ... pas): surrounds the pronoun + verb
- Je ne me lave pas aujourd'hui. (I am not washing myself today.)
- Elle ne s'habille pas. (She is not getting dressed.)

Note: in negative sentences with a following infinitive, ne ... pas encloses the conjugated verb but the reflexive pronoun stays with the infinitive:
- Je ne vais pas me coucher maintenant. (I am not going to go to bed now.)

3) Questions: three common ways

- Rising intonation (spoken): Tu te laves ? (Are you washing yourself?)
- with est-ce que: Est-ce que tu te laves ? (Do you wash yourself?) — common and neutral.
- inversion (more formal/written): Te laves-tu ? (Do you wash yourself?)
- In inversion, the reflexive pronoun stays before the verb and the subject pronoun follows the verb with a hyphen.
- Note: inversion with je is rare: Me lave-je ? sounds literary; use est-ce que or intonation instead.

4) Imperative (commands) — present-tense commands

Imperative affirmative (give order/request) puts the reflexive pronoun after the verb and you must change me -> moi, te -> toi:
- Lave-toi ! (Wash yourself!)
- Habille-toi ! (Get dressed!)
- Levons-nous ! (Let's get up!)
- Asseyez-vous ! (Sit down!)

Imperative negative keeps the pronoun before the verb (like normal negative):
- Ne te lave pas ! (Don't wash yourself!)
- Ne nous pressons pas. (Let's not hurry.)

How to tell reflexive vs. reciprocal vs. idiomatic/pronominal

Reflexive (self):
- Elle se regarde dans le miroir. (She looks at herself in the mirror.)

Reciprocal (each other):]
- Ils se voient souvent. (They see each other often.)
- Quick test: if you can rewrite with "l'un(e) l'autre / les uns les autres" (each other), it's reciprocal: « Ils se parlent » = « Ils parlent les uns aux autres. »

Idiomatic pronominal (meaning changes):
- s'appeler: Je m'appelle Claire. (I am called Claire.) — you cannot remove se here.
- se souvenir de: Je me souviens de cette chanson. (I remember that song.)

Pronominal passive (no agent):
- Cette phrase se comprend bien. (This sentence is easily understood.)

Common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid

- Wrong pronoun placement: "Je me vais laver" is wrong. Correct: "Je vais me laver." (Pronoun goes before the infinitive.)

- Forgetting elision: write "Je m'appelle" not "Je me appelle."

- Wrong imperative pronouns: affirmative "Lave-toi!" not "Lave-te!" (use toi, moi, soi for affirmative commands).

- Confusing se rappeler and se souvenir de:
- Je me rappelle ton nom. (I recall your name.) — se rappeler takes a direct object.
- Je me souviens de ton nom. (I remember your name.) — se souvenir uses de + noun.

- Using the wrong conjugation for "on": remember "on" takes third-person singular forms. Wrong: "On se lavons." Right: "On se lave."

- Treating reciprocal as non-reflexive: to check, see if the meaning is "each other." "Ils se parlent" = "Ils parlent les uns aux autres."

- Using inversion awkwardly with je: prefer "Est-ce que je me lave ?" or intonation.

Common pronominal verbs (useful list with examples)

Here are many everyday reflexive verbs with a short sentence in the present tense.

- se réveiller: Je me réveille à 7 heures. (I wake up at 7.)
- se lever: Tu te lèves tard le dimanche. (You get up late on Sunday.)
- se laver: Il se lave les mains. (He washes his hands.)
- se doucher: Nous nous douchons le matin. (We shower in the morning.)
- s'habiller: Elle s'habille vite. (She gets dressed quickly.)
- se coiffer: Je me coiffe devant le miroir. (I do my hair in front of the mirror.)
- se maquiller: Elle se maquille. (She puts on makeup.)
- se raser: Il se rase tous les jours. (He shaves every day.)
- se brosser les dents: Vous vous brossez les dents. (You brush your teeth.)
- se coucher: Ils se couchent tard. (They go to bed late.)
- se reposer: Je me repose après le travail. (I rest after work.)
- se promener: Nous nous promenons dans le parc. (We walk in the park.)
- s'amuser: Les enfants s'amusent. (The children are having fun.)
- se dépêcher: Dépêche-toi ! / Ne te dépêche pas. (Hurry up! / Don't hurry.)
- se fâcher: Il se fâche facilement. (He gets angry easily.)
- se calmer: Elle se calme après quelques minutes. (She calms down after a few minutes.)
- s'appeler: Je m'appelle Sophie. (My name is Sophie.)
- se souvenir (de): Je me souviens de mon enfance. (I remember my childhood.)
- se tromper: Je me suis trompé de porte. (I was mistaken about the door.) — (this is passé composé example; present: Je me trompe.)
- se plaindre: Ils se plaignent du bruit. (They complain about the noise.)
- se moquer (de): On se moque de lui. (People make fun of him.)
- se marier: Ils se marient en juin. (They are getting married in June.)
- se divorcer: Ils se divorcent. (They are divorcing.)
- se rencontrer: Nous nous rencontrons au café. (We meet each other at the café.)
- se comprendre: Ils se comprennent bien. (They understand each other well.)
- s'entendre: Nous nous entendons bien. (We get along.)
- se disputer: Elles se disputent souvent. (They argue often.)
- s'asseoir: Assieds-toi ! / Nous nous asseyons. (Sit down! / We sit down.)
- se servir de: Je me sers de cet outil. (I use this tool.)
- s'intéresser à: Il s'intéresse à l'histoire. (He is interested in history.)
- se rendre compte: Je me rends compte de mon erreur. (I realize my mistake.)

Short conjugation examples (quick reference)

se laver (regular -er):
- Je me lave / Tu te laves / Il se lave / Nous nous lavons / Vous vous lavez / Ils se lavent

s'appeler (stem change):
- Je m'appelle / Tu t'appelles / Il s'appelle / Nous nous appelons / Vous vous appelez / Ils s'appellent

se lever (e -> è):
- Je me lève / Tu te lèves / Il se lève / Nous nous levons / Vous vous levez / Ils se lèvent

se souvenir (irregular stem):
- Je me souviens / Tu te souviens / Il se souvient / Nous nous souvenons / Vous vous souvenez / Ils se souviennent

Glossary (short definitions)

- pronominal verb (verbe pronominal): a verb that uses a reflexive pronoun (se, me, te, nous, vous).
- reflexive pronoun: me, te, se, nous, vous used with pronominal verbs.
- elision: the shortening of me/te/se to m'/t'/s' before a vowel or mute h.
- reciprocal: action done to one another (each other).
- pronominal passive: the verb is used with se to express a passive sense.

Summary: the main rules to remember

- Put the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the present-tense verb: Je me lave.
- Before a vowel or mute h, use m', t', s'.
- In negatives, ne ... pas surrounds the pronoun + verb: Je ne me lève pas.
- With a helping verb + infinitive (je vais + infinitive), the reflexive pronoun goes with the infinitive: Je vais me laver.
- For affirmative commands, attach the pronoun with a hyphen and change me/te to moi/toi: Lave-toi ! Levons-nous !
- Distinguish reflexive (self), reciprocal (each other), idiomatic/pronominal (meaning changes), and pronominal passive.

If you have specific verbs you want conjugated or examples using your daily routine, tell me which verbs and I’ll give detailed conjugations and sentences.