Reflexive verbs in French

The pronominal verbs (French: les verbes pronominaux) are verbs that conjugate with a reflected pronoun of the same person as the subject.

These verbs can be recognized by the fact that they form the infinitive with "themselves" (in French "se"):

se tromper (to be fooled)
se dépêcher (to hurry)
se blesser (to get hurt)

Lesson outline

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1.The different types of pronominal verbs
1.1.Examples
2.Conjugation of reflexive verbs in French
2.1.Example of a reflexive verb without a vowel
2.2.Example of a reflexive verb with a vowel
3.Verbs with reflexive and non-reflexive forms
4.Verbs with only a reflexive form
5.Reflexive verbs with parts of the body
6.Exercises
6.1.Fill in the blank exercise for reflexive verbs in French
6.2.Reflexive vs Non-reflexive verbs exercise in French
6.3.Fill in the blank exercise for reflexive verbs with parts of the body in French
6.4.Drag and drop exercise about the reflexive verbs in French

The different types of pronominal verbs

Passive pronominal verbs: the subject undergoes the action but does not accomplish it.
Reflexive pronominal verbs: the subject undergoes the action he performs.
Reciprocal pronominal verbs: the subjects undergo interaction.
Subjective or non-reflexive pronominal verbs: the subject does not undergo the action it performs. They are often followed by a preposition.

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Examples

Use	Examples	Translation
passive pronominal verbs	Cette leçon se comprend bien	The lesson is comprehensible
reflexive pronominal verbs	Je ne me sens pas bien	I am not feeling good
reciprocal pronominal verbs	Ils se disputent chaque fois	They always fight
subjective or non-reflexive	Julien se moque de son frère	Julian is laughing at his brother

Conjugation of reflexive verbs in French

Reflexive verbs must always be used with the corresponding object pronoun, which always refers to the subject and is therefore also called a reflexive pronoun.The reflexive pronouns are me, te, se, nous and vous and when the verb begins with a vowel me, te and se become me, t' and s'. In addition, the reflexive pronoun must always stand between pronoun and verb:

Nous nous dépêchons. (we hurry up.)
Mireille s'est mariée avec Pierre. (she got married to Pierre.)

Example of a reflexive verb without a vowel

se laver (to wash)

Pronom personnel	Présent	Passé composé	Imparfait	Plus-que-parfait	Futur simple
je	me lave	me suis lavé	me lavais	m'étais lavé	me laverai
tu	te laves	t'es lavé	te lavais	t'étais lavé	te laveras
il/elle/on	se lave	s'est lavé	se lavait	s'était lavé	se lavera
nous	nous lavons	nous sommes lavés	nous lavions	nous étions lavé	nous laverons
vous	vous lavez	vous êtes lavés	vous laviez	vous étiez lavé	vous laverez
ils/elles	se lavent	se sont lavés	se lavaient	s'étaient lavé	se laveront

Example of a reflexive verb with a vowel

s'exclamer (to exclaim)

Pronom Personnel	Présent	Passé composé	Imparfait	plus-que-parfait	futur simple
je	m'exclame	me suis exclamé(e)	m'exclamais	m'étais exclamé(e)	m'exclamerai
tu	t'exclames	t'es exclamé(e)	t'exclamais	t'étais exclamé(e)	t'exclameras
il/elle/on	s'exclame	s'est exclamé(e)	s'exclamait	s'était exclamé(e)	s'exclamera
nous	nous exclamerons	nous sommes exclamé(e)	nous exclamions	nous étions exclamé(e)s	nous exclamerons
vous	vous exclamez	vous êtes exclamé(e)	vous exclamiez	vous étiez exclamé(e)s	vous exclamerez
ils/elles	s'exclament	se sont exclamé(e)s	s'exclamaient	s'étaient exclamé(e)s	s'exclameront

In a negative sentence, one element of negation "ne" is placed before the pronoun and the other element of negation "pas" after the verb.

Je ne me lève pas tôt. (I am not waking up early.)

Verbs with reflexive and non-reflexive forms

Some verbs have both a reflexive and non-reflexive forms as listed below:

Non-reflexive	Reflexive
appeler (to call someone)	s'appeler (to be called)
baigner (to bathe someone)	se baigner (to bath oneself)
lever (to raise)	se lever (to rise)
arrêter (to arrest)	s'arrêter (to stop)
attendre (to wait for)	s'attendre (to expect sth)
coucher (to lay)	se coucher (to go to bed)
éteindre (to turn off)	s'éteindre (to go out, to die)
marier (to marry)	se marier (to get married)
promener (to walk)	se promener (to go for a walk)
rappeler (to call back)	se rappeler (to remember)
réveiller (to wake someone up)	se réveiller (to wake up)
tromper (to deceive)	se tromper (to be mistaken)
tuer (to murder)	se tuer (to kill oneself)

Verbs with only a reflexive form

The following verbs occur only in the reflexive form:

s'en aller (to go away)
s'enfuir (to run away)
s'envoler (to fly away/off)
s'évanouir (to faint)
se méfier (to beware)
se moquer (to laugh at sb)
se soucier (to worry about sb)
se souvenir (to remember)
se taire (to remain silent)

Reflexive verbs with parts of the body

To refer doing something to parts of the body, French uses a reflexive verb with the definite article, whereas English uses a possessive.

Examples	Translations
Olivier se lave les mains	Olivier washes his hands
Nous nous lavons le visage	We wash our face
Elle se brosse les cheveux	She brushes her hair

Some verbs represent an idiomatic use of the reflexive pronoun, they do not reflect reflexive or reciprocal actions.

s'amuser, se dépêcher, s'endormir, s'ennuyer, se fâcher, se passer, se reposer, se sentir, se trouver.