French Reflexive Verbs – Les Verbs Pronominaux
Pronominal verbs, also known as Reflexive Verbs, are verbs that include a reflexive pronoun that reflects the action back onto the subject. In languages like Spanish, French, Italian, and others, these verbs typically use reflexive pronouns to indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself or for its own benefit. “Reflexive” is an adjective, it means “reflecting” hence it indicates that the action is carried out on the person who is doing the action.
For example:
se lever (to get up) – Je me lève tôt – I get up early.
In this example, the reflexive pronouns (“me”) indicate that the subject of the sentence is performing the action upon itself.
Pronominal verbs can have different meanings from their non-reflexive counterparts and often require the use of reflexive pronouns to convey the intended action.
For example:
se laver (to wash oneself) – Je me lave – I wash myself.
laver (to wash) – Je lave la voiture – I wash the car
The reflexive pronouns change according to the subject and the tense of the verb, indicating who is performing the action on themselves.
Pronominal verbs are not present in English, as in languages like French. While “Je m’habille” translates to “I’m dressing myself,” in English, the more common phrase is “I’m getting dressed,” where the reflexive nature is implied rather than explicitly stated. However, in French, using the reflexive pronoun is crucial. Without it, indicating that you’re dressing yourself becomes ambiguous as it could imply dressing someone else.
Conjugation of Pronominal Verbs
Pronominal verbs have a special pronoun also called the personal pronoun “me, te, se, nous, vous, se”, before the verb alongside the the subject pronoun “je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles”.
Apart from adding the personal pronoun the other rules of conjugation remain the same for all three groups of verbs.
Examples:
| se raser – to shave | se souvenir – to remember | s’amuser– to enjoy |
| je me rase | je me souviens | je m’amuse |
| tu te rases | tu te souviens | tu t’amuses |
| il se rase | il se souvient | il s’amuse |
| nous nous rasons | nous nous souvenons | nous nous amusons |
| vous vous rasez | vous vous souvenez | vous vous amusez |
| ils se rasent | ils se souviennent | ils s’amusent |
La routine quotidienne – Daily routine
Pronominal verbs are widely used when talking about daily routine. Here is a list of some commonly used pronominal verbs in French.
| Pronominal Verb in French | In English |
| se brosser les dents | To brush your teeth |
| s’habiller | To get dressed |
| se réveiller | To wake up |
| se lever | To get up (get out of bed) |
| se laver | To wash |
| se coucher | To go to bed |
| s’endormir | To fall asleep |
| s’amuser | To have fun |
| se reposer | To rest |
| se dépêcher | To hurry up |
| se raser | To shave |
| se maquiller | To put on makeup |
| se promener | To go for a walk |
| se laver les cheveux | To wash your hair |
| se brosser les cheveux | To brush your hair |
| se sécher les cheveux | To dry your hair |
La vie quotidienne de Jane
Jane se réveille tous les matins à six heures. Elle se lève rapidement et se dirige vers la salle de bain. Après ça, elle se brosse les dents et se lave le visage. Ensuite, elle s’habille et prépare un café. Pour le petit-déjeuner elle mange souvent des croissants avec la confiture et cafe noir.
Elle quitte la maison vers huit heures. Elle prend le métro pour aller au travail. Pendant la journée, elle se concentre sur ses tâches professionnelles. Vers midi, elle se nourrit avec un sandwich dans un café près de son bureau. Après ça, Jane se promène un peu à l’extérieur pour prendre l’air frais.
En fin d’après-midi, elle termine le travail et rentre chez elle. Elle se repose un peu en regardant la télévision ou en lisant un livre. Puis, elle se prépare un dîner rapide avant de se coucher vers dix heures pour bien se reposer pour le lendemain.
Vocabulary
vers-towards/around
In French we use these phrases to talk about something happening in sequence:
- D’abord – firstly
- Ensuite -then
- Puis – then
- Enfin – Finally
Translation
Jane wakes up every morning at six o’clock. She gets up quickly and heads for the bathroom. After that, she brushes her teeth and washes her face. Then she gets dressed and makes a cup of coffee. For breakfast, she often eats croissants with jam and black coffee.
She leaves the house around eight o’clock. She takes the metro to work. During the day, she concentrates on her professional tasks. Around midday, she eats a sandwich in a café near her office. After that, Jane takes a walk outside to get some fresh air.
In the late afternoon, she finishes work and heads home. She relaxes a little by watching TV or reading a book. Then she cooks herself a quick dinner before going to bed around ten o’clock to get a good night’s rest for the next day.
Negation in Pronominal Verbs
In French, when negating pronominal verbs (reflexive verbs), the word “ne” precedes the reflexive pronoun, and the negative word “pas” follows the conjugated verb.
For example, if we take the reflexive verb “se laver” (to wash oneself):
- Affirmative: Il se lave. – He washes himself.
- Negative: Il ne se lave pas. – He does not wash himself.
Here, “ne” comes before the reflexive pronoun “se,” and “pas” comes after the conjugated verb “lave” to form the negative structure. This pattern applies to other pronominal verbs as well, maintaining the position of “ne” before the reflexive pronoun and “pas” after the conjugated verb in negative sentences.
Another example with the verb “se réveiller” (to wake up):
- Affirmative: Nous nous réveillons tôt. – We wake up early.
- Negative: Nous ne nous réveillons pas tôt. – We do not wake up early.
This structure remains consistent across various pronominal verbs when forming negative sentences in French.
