Grammar / A2 : Elementary / Reflexive / pronominal verbs
Reflexive / pronominal verbs
se lever, se coucher, s'appeler: conjugation and use.
Verbs that carry their own pronoun
Pronominal verbs include a reflexive pronoun, me, te, se, nous, vous, se, as part of their structure. In French, they cover a wider range of meanings than the English "myself/yourself" construction suggests. Some describe actions you do to yourself (se laver: to wash yourself). Some describe mutual actions between two or more people (se rencontrer: to meet each other). Some exist only as pronominal verbs with no direct English equivalent (se souvenir: to remember, s'en aller: to leave). And some carry a passive meaning (ça se dit: that is said).
Pronominal verbs are indispensable for describing daily routines, relationships, and many common states. They also have their own rules in the passé composé: all pronominal verbs use être as their auxiliary.
1. The reflexive pronouns
The reflexive pronoun must match the subject of the verb. It comes directly before the verb (or before the infinitive when a modal verb is used). Before a vowel or silent h, me, te, se shorten to m', t', s'.
| Subject | Reflexive pronoun | Before vowel / silent h |
|---|---|---|
| je | me | m' |
| tu | te | t' |
| il / elle / on | se | s' |
| nous | nous | nous |
| vous | vous | vous |
| ils / elles | se | s' |
2. Conjugation in the present tense
Apart from the reflexive pronoun, the verb conjugates exactly as it would without it. The model below uses se lever; note the accent change in the stem (same rule as acheter in the A1 lesson).
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| je | je me lève | Je me lève à sept heures. (I get up at seven.) |
| tu | tu te lèves | À quelle heure tu te lèves ? (What time do you get up?) |
| il / elle / on | il se lève | Elle se lève tôt le matin. (She gets up early in the morning.) |
| nous | nous nous levons | Nous nous levons à la même heure. (We get up at the same time.) |
| vous | vous vous levez | Vous vous levez tard le dimanche ? (Do you get up late on Sundays?) |
| ils / elles | ils se lèvent | Ils se lèvent à six heures. (They get up at six.) |
💡 nous nous and vous vous look repeated but are completely correct. The first nous/vous is the subject pronoun; the second is the reflexive pronoun.
3. The four types of pronominal verbs
Type 1 (Reflexive): action directed back at the subject
The subject acts on itself. Often, you can add "myself / yourself / himself..." to the English translation.
Je me lave les mains. (I am washing my hands.)
Elle se coiffe devant le miroir. (She is doing her hair in front of the mirror.)
Il se blesse souvent au sport. (He often hurts himself playing sport.)
On se prépare. (We are getting ready.)
Type 2: Reciprocal: action between two or more people
The subject acts on others in the group, and they act back. The English translation often includes "each other" or "one another".
Ils se regardent. (They look at each other.)
On se retrouve à midi ? (Shall we meet at noon?)
Nous nous connaissons depuis longtemps. (We have known each other for a long time.)
Elles se téléphonent tous les jours. (They call each other every day.)
Type 3 (Inherently pronominal): verbs that only exist in pronominal form
These verbs have no non-pronominal counterpart. You cannot use them without the reflexive pronoun. They must be learnt as units.
Tu te souviens de moi ? (Do you remember me?)
Il s'en va. (He is leaving / going away.)
Elle se méfie de lui. (She is wary of him.)
Taisez-vous ! (Be quiet!; se taire)
Il se moque de tout. (He makes fun of everything.)
Type 4 : Passive meaning
A pronominal verb can express that something is done to a thing, without specifying by whom. This is a formal and very common construction in French writing.
Ça ne se dit pas. (That is not said. / You don't say that.)
Ça se fait. (That is done. / That is acceptable.)
Le français se parle dans 29 pays. (French is spoken in 29 countries.)
Ce plat se mange froid. (This dish is eaten cold.)
4. Essential vocabulary
Daily routine
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| se réveiller | to wake up | Je me réveille à six heures. |
| se lever | to get up | Elle se lève tout de suite. |
| se doucher | to have a shower | Il se douche le matin. |
| se laver | to wash (oneself) | Je me lave les cheveux. |
| se brosser les dents | to brush one's teeth | Tu t'es brossé les dents ? |
| s'habiller | to get dressed | Elle s'habille vite. |
| se coiffer | to do one's hair | Il se coiffe en deux minutes. |
| se maquiller | to put on makeup | Elle se maquille peu. |
| se raser | to shave | Il se rase tous les deux jours. |
| se dépêcher | to hurry | Dépêche-toi ! (Hurry up!) |
| se coucher | to go to bed | Je me couche à onze heures. |
| se déshabiller | to get undressed | Il se déshabille et se couche. |
| s'endormir | to fall asleep | Elle s'endort rapidement. |
Other common pronominal verbs
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| s'appeler | to be called | Je m'appelle Thomas. |
| se sentir | to feel | Je ne me sens pas bien. (I don't feel well.) |
| se trouver | to be located | La gare se trouve au centre. |
| s'intéresser à | to be interested in | Je m'intéresse à la musique. |
| s'inquiéter | to worry | Ne t'inquiète pas. (Don't worry.) |
| se tromper | to make a mistake | Je me suis trompé. (I made a mistake.) |
| se souvenir de | to remember | Tu te souviens de lui ? |
| se mettre à | to start (doing) | Il s'est mis à pleuvoir. (It started to rain.) |
| s'occuper de | to take care of | Je m'occupe des enfants. |
| se passer | to happen | Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? (What's happening?) |
5. Negation
ne goes before the reflexive pronoun, and pas goes after the conjugated verb.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Je me lève tôt. (I get up early.) | Je ne me lève pas tôt. (I don't get up early.) |
| Il se souvient. (He remembers.) | Il ne se souvient pas. (He doesn't remember.) |
| Nous nous voyons souvent. | Nous ne nous voyons pas souvent. |
6. With modal verbs and infinitives
When a pronominal verb follows a modal verb (vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, aller), the reflexive pronoun changes to match the subject and goes directly before the infinitive.
| Subject | Modal + pronominal infinitive |
|---|---|
| je | Je vais me coucher. (I'm going to go to bed.) |
| tu | Tu dois te dépêcher. (You need to hurry.) |
| elle | Elle peut se reposer. (She can rest.) |
| nous | On va se retrouver demain. (We're going to meet tomorrow.) |
| vous | Vous devez vous calmer. (You need to calm down.) |
⚠ The reflexive pronoun must match the subject, even in the infinitive. It is not fixed as se.
❌ Je vais se lever. · ✓ Je vais me lever.
❌ Tu dois se dépêcher. · ✓ Tu dois te dépêcher.
7. Passé composé
All pronominal verbs form their passé composé with être. The reflexive pronoun stays before the auxiliary, and the past participle usually agrees with the subject (or more precisely, with the reflexive pronoun when it functions as the direct object).
Subject + reflexive pronoun + être (present) + past participle (with agreement)
Je me suis levé(e). (I got up.)
Elle s'est réveillée. (She woke up.)
Ils se sont rencontrés. (They met each other.)
Nous nous sommes préparées. (We got ready; all female group.)
| Subject | Passé composé | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| il | il s'est levé | masc. sg. (no change) |
| elle | elle s'est levée | fem. sg. (add -e) |
| ils | ils se sont levés | masc. pl. (add -s) |
| elles | elles se sont levées | fem. pl. (add -es) |
| je (male) | je me suis levé | no change |
| je (female) | je me suis levée | add -e |
Agreement exception: when the verb takes a body part as direct object
When the verb is followed by a body part as its direct object, the reflexive pronoun becomes an indirect object. In this case, no agreement with the participle.
| With agreement (reflexive pronoun = direct object) | No agreement (body part = direct object) |
|---|---|
| Elle s'est lavée. (She washed herself.) | Elle s'est lavé les mains. (She washed her hands.) |
| Elle s'est brossée. (She brushed herself.) | Elle s'est brossé les dents. (She brushed her teeth.) |
| Elle s'est habillée. (She got dressed.) | Elle s'est cassé le bras. (She broke her arm.) |
Negation in the passé composé
ne goes before the reflexive pronoun, and pas goes after the auxiliary.
Je ne me suis pas levé tôt. (I didn't get up early.)
Elle ne s'est pas souvenue. (She didn't remember.)
Ils ne se sont pas vus depuis longtemps. (They haven't seen each other for a long time.)
8. A typical morning in context
Ce matin, je me suis réveillé à six heures et demie. Je me suis levé, je me suis douché et je me suis rasé. Ensuite, je me suis habillé et j'ai pris mon petit-déjeuner. Je me suis dépêché parce que j'allais être en retard. Dans le métro, j'ai rencontré un collègue. On se connaît depuis deux ans. On s'est dit bonjour et on a parlé du travail.
This morning, I woke up at six-thirty. I got up, had a shower, and shaved. Then I got dressed and had breakfast. I hurried because I was going to be late. On the metro, I met a colleague. We've known each other for two years. We said hello and talked about work.
9. Key points
✓ Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nous, vous, se (must match the subject)
✓ Before vowel / silent h: me → m', te → t', se → s'
✓ Four types: reflexive / reciprocal / inherently pronominal / passive meaning
✓ Negation: ne before the reflexive pronoun, pas after the conjugated verb
✓ With modal verbs: reflexive pronoun goes before the infinitive and agrees with subject
✓ Passé composé: all pronominal verbs use être
✓ Agreement: past participle agrees with the subject (unless a body part follows as direct object)
✓ Common verbs: se lever, se coucher, se doucher, se souvenir, se trouver, se passer, se dépêcher