Reflexive verbs (verbes pronominaux)
The short answer
A reflexive verb carries a pronoun that matches its subject: je me lève, tu te lèves. In the passé composé they all take être without exception, and the participle usually agrees with the subject, but not when a direct object follows the verb.
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The rule
Verbes pronominaux are verbs used with a reflexive pronoun that agrees with the subject: me, te, se, nous, vous, se. They cover four situations: an action done to oneself, an action two people do to each other, verbs that simply exist in this form, and a way of expressing the passive. All of them form compound tenses with être rather than avoir, and the past participle agrees with the subject unless a direct object follows the verb, in which case it does not.
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | subjectpronounverb | Je me lève à sept heures. |
| Negative | ne wraps the pronoun and the verb | Je ne me lève pas tôt. |
| Passé composé | pronounêtreparticiple | Je me suis levé. |
| Agreement | with the subjectunless an object follows | Elle s’est levée. / Elle s’est lavé les mains. |
| Infinitive | the pronoun matches the subject | Je vais me coucher. |
| Command | pronoun afterand te becomes toi | Lève-toi ! / Ne te lève pas. |
Part 1 of 3
The four types
Reflexive proper: the subject acts on itself: je me lave, elle s’habille. Reciprocal: two or more people act on each other: ils se parlent, nous nous voyons souvent. These two are what the name suggests.
The other two are less obvious. Some verbs simply exist in pronominal form with no reflexive meaning at all: se souvenir, s’en aller, se moquer, se rendre compte. And French uses the form as a passive: ça se dit, ce livre se vend bien.
Elle se prépare pour la réunion.
She’s getting ready for the meeting.
On se retrouve devant le cinéma ?
Shall we meet outside the cinema?
NBReciprocal, each person meets the other.
Ça ne se fait pas.
That isn’t done.
NBThe passive use, no subject is named, and none is implied.
Part 2 of 3
Pronoun placement
The pronoun goes before the verb and matches the subject: je me, tu te, il se, nous nous, vous vous, ils se. In a compound tense it goes before the auxiliary, and in a negative the ne comes before the pronoun: je ne me suis pas levé.
With an infinitive the pronoun still matches the subject, not the nearest word: je vais me coucher, tu vas te coucher. In a positive command the pronoun follows and te becomes toi: lève-toi, but a negative command puts it back in front: ne te lève pas.
Nous nous sommes perdus dans le centre.
We got lost in the centre.
Vous devriez vous reposer.
You should rest.
NBThe pronoun matches vous, even though it sits next to devriez.
Ne vous inquiétez pas.
Don’t worry.
Part 3 of 3
Agreement in the passé composé
The rule looks like the ordinary être agreement and is not quite. The participle agrees with the reflexive pronoun when that pronoun is the direct object: elle s’est levée, which is the usual case.
But when a direct object follows the verb, the pronoun becomes indirect and no agreement happens: elle s’est lavé les mains. The hands are the direct object, so the participle stays flat. The same applies to verbs that take à: ils se sont parlé, never parlés.
Elles se sont réveillées tard.
They woke up late.
NBNo object follows, so the participle agrees.
Elle s’est cassé la jambe.
She broke her leg.
NBLa jambe is the direct object, so cassé does not agree.
Ils se sont écrit pendant des années.
They wrote to each other for years.
NBÉcrire à, the pronoun is indirect, so no agreement.
Mistakes to avoid
What learners actually get wrong
J’ai me levé à six heures.
Je me suis levé à six heures.
Reflexive verbs take être, always, and the pronoun goes before the auxiliary rather than after it. Both halves go wrong together, which is why this is worth practicing as one pattern rather than two rules.
Elle s’est lavée les mains.
Elle s’est lavé les mains.
Les mains is the direct object and it follows the verb, so the participle does not agree. Elle s’est lavée on its own would be correct, the presence of the object is what switches the rule off.
Je vais te coucher.
Je vais me coucher.
The reflexive pronoun matches the subject, not whichever verb it sits next to. Je vais te coucher is grammatical and means you are putting someone else to bed.
Lève-te !
Lève-toi !
After a positive command, te becomes toi and me becomes moi. Negative commands keep the ordinary forms and the ordinary position: ne te lève pas.
Now use it
Verbes pronominaux
se lever, se souvenir: reflexive pronouns and their agreement. Reading a rule and being able to apply it are different skills, and only one of them shows up when you speak.
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Questions
Asked and answered
- How do I know if a verb is reflexive?
- The dictionary lists it with se: se souvenir, s’en aller. Many verbs exist in both forms with different meanings, laver is to wash something, se laver is to wash yourself; rendre is to give back, se rendre compte is to realise. Learn the pronominal form as a separate entry when the meaning shifts.
- Why is it nous nous and vous vous?
- The subject pronoun and the reflexive pronoun happen to be identical in those two persons, so both appear: nous nous levons. It looks like a typo and is not. Leaving one out is a very visible error in writing.
- Does the passive use replace the real passive?
- It often does, and it sounds more natural. Ce livre se vend bien is far more idiomatic than ce livre est bien vendu. French uses the pronominal form and on where English reaches for a passive, which is why the true passive is less common in French than learners expect.