French Topic
Reflexive Verbs
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Study focus - 3 things
- Reflexive verbs use reflexive pronouns such as me, te, se, nous, vous, and se
- They often describe daily routines, body care, clothing, relationships, and feelings
- In the passé composé, reflexive verbs use être
Section 1What reflexive means
A reflexive verb shows that the subject does the action to itself or for itself. Example: je me lave means I wash myself. In plain words, the action bounces back to the person doing it.
Section 2Reflexive pronouns
The reflexive pronouns are me, te, se, nous, vous, and se. They go before the conjugated verb in the present tense: je me lève, tu te lèves, il se lève. Watch out: the pronoun must match the subject.
Section 3Daily routine verbs
Common daily routine verbs include se lever, se laver, se brosser les dents, s'habiller, se coucher, and se réveiller. These are useful for writing about a school morning before heading to Ardenne.
Section 4Passé composé with reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs use être in the passé composé. Example: je me suis levé means I got up. Here's the trick: choose être, keep the reflexive pronoun, and then check agreement.
Examples
Conjugate se lever with je in the present tense.
Match je with me and use the je form of lever: je me lève.
Translate: I got dressed before school.
S'habiller is reflexive, so use être in the passé composé: Je me suis habillé avant l'école. If the speaker is female, write habillée.
Now let's water it
Session runs notes to flashcards to quiz back-to-back.