Learn French Language Guide - Learn French Grammar

Reflexive Verbs in French

Simply put, in the French language, reflexive forms occur when something or someone does something to itself/himself/herself. This is not very clear, so let’s see some examples:

Examples:

Je me lève le matin. / I get (myself) up in the morning.

Le chien se lèche les babines. / The dog licks (himself) his chops.

When this particular form occurs, the subject of the sentence (whether person, object or concept) is followed by the appropriate reflexive form, then the verb. To wit:

Je           è     me or m’ (when me is followed directly by a vowel)

Tu           è     te or t’ (when te is followed directly by a vowel)

Il,elle,on  è     se or s’ (when se is followed directly by a vowel))

Nous      è    nous

Vous      è    vous

Ils, elles  è     se

We’ll use laver / to wash  and  appeler / to call to illustrate:

Tu te laves les cheveux. / You wash your hair.

Tu t’appelles Mathieu. / You call yourself Mathieu.

CAREFUL!  Use the correct reflexive form, or you will convey in French a meaning far different from what you intend.

Contrast:

            Je me suis porté volontaire. / I volunteered myself.

            Je l’ai porté volontaire. / I volunteered him.

In French, the following verbs are always reflexive:

s'écrier / to exclaim or cry out 
s'en aller / to leave or go away  
se fier à / to trust 
se méfier de / to distrust 
se moquer de / to make fun of 
se soucier de / to care about
se souvenir de / to remember

Self-reflexive expressions in French:

se brosser les dents / to brush one's teeth 
se casser la jambe / to break one's leg 
se faire des amis / to make friends for oneself 
se mettre en colère / to get angry 
se rendre compte de / to realize that

Reflexive Form French Rules:

-- a reflexive form can be used to express that mutual actions are being performed:

Example:  Nous nous parlons / We talk to each other.

-- when two French verbs follow each other in a sentence, the reflexive form follows the first verb and precedes the second, since the second verb always indicates which action is being performed.

Example:  J’espère m’acheter une voiture / I hope to buy myself a car.

-- commands:

# Affirmative commands:  the reflexive form follows the verb and is attached with a hyphen.

Example:  Peigne-toi les cheveux / Literally: Self-comb your hair.

            Me and Te are converted to Moi and Toi, for direct personal commands 

            # Negative commands:  the reflexive form precedes the verb

Example:  Ne vous arrêtez pas / Don’t stop. 

-- reflexive forms can be used to differentiate verbal meanings (reflexive and regular forms have very different meanings):

Examples:

            Je me proclame roi / I proclaim myself king.

            Je proclame le début des jeux / I proclaim the begining of the games.