Reflexive Verbs

A reflexive verb (un verbe pronominal) describes an action the subject does to itself. English usually hides this idea, but French makes it explicit with an extra pronoun that matches the subject:

• je me lave = I wash (myself)
• il se lève = he gets (himself) up

You can spot a reflexive verb in the dictionary because its infinitive starts with se (or s' before a vowel): se laver, se lever, s'habiller. That se is the reflexive pronoun in its default form, meaning "oneself".

Reflexive verbs are everywhere in daily-routine descriptions, a favourite topic for the speaking photo card and writing tasks:

Infinitive	Meaning
se réveiller	to wake up
se lever	to get up
se laver	to wash (oneself)
se brosser	to brush
s'habiller	to get dressed
se coucher	to go to bed

Every reflexive verb needs its pronoun to change with the subject. The six pronouns are: me, te, se, nous, vous, se.

Subject	Reflexive pronoun	Meaning
je	me	myself
tu	te	yourself
il/elle/on	se	himself/herself
nous	nous	ourselves
vous	vous	yourself/-selves
ils/elles	se	themselves

The pronoun sits between the subject and the verb: je me lave, nous nous lavons. In the nous and vous forms the pronoun looks identical to the subject, so you write the word twice: nous nous lavons is correct, not a typo.

The pronoun always matches the subject. You cannot mix them: je me, never je se or je te.

Here is the full present-tense grid of se laver (to wash oneself). The verb itself is a normal -er verb; the reflexive pronoun is what you add.

Person	se laver	English
je	me lave	I wash (myself)
tu	te laves	you wash
il/elle/on	se lave	he/she washes
nous	nous lavons	we wash
vous	vous lavez	you wash
ils/elles	se lavent	they wash

Worked examples:

• Je me lave les mains. — I wash my hands.
• Elle se lave à sept heures. — She washes at seven o'clock.
• Nous nous lavons vite le matin. — We wash quickly in the morning.

The verb endings are the ordinary -er endings from the present-tense lesson. The only new element is the reflexive pronoun placed in front.

When the verb begins with a vowel or silent h, the pronouns me, te, se drop their e and join on with an apostrophe. This is called elision. nous and vous never change.

Person	s'appeler (to be called)	s'habiller (to get dressed)
je	m'appelle	m'habille
tu	t'appelles	t'habilles
il/elle/on	s'appelle	s'habille
nous	nous appelons	nous habillons
vous	vous appelez	vous habillez
ils/elles	s'appellent	s'habillent

Worked examples:

• Je m'appelle Camille. — My name is Camille (literally: I call myself Camille).
• Il s'habille lentement. — He gets dressed slowly.
• Comment tu t'appelles ? — What is your name?

s'appeler is also a spelling-change verb: it doubles the l in je m'appelle but not in nous nous appelons. Both patterns are at work at once.

Near future. With aller + infinitive, the reflexive pronoun moves in front of the infinitive and still matches the subject:

• Je vais me coucher. — I am going to go to bed.
• Nous allons nous lever tôt. — We are going to get up early.
• Tu vas te reposer ? — Are you going to rest?

Negative. In ne … pas, the ne goes before the reflexive pronoun and pas after the verb, wrapping both:

• Je ne me lève pas. — I do not get up.
• Il ne se rase pas le week-end. — He does not shave at the weekend.

Structure	Example	English
Present	je me lève	I get up
Near future	je vais me lever	I am going to get up
Negative	je ne me lève pas	I do not get up

In the near future the pronoun follows the subject, not aller: it is je vais me coucher, never je me vais coucher.

1. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Je lave means I wash (something else); je me lave means I wash myself. Leaving out the pronoun changes the meaning, so a reflexive verb must always keep it.

2. Not changing the pronoun with the subject

The pronoun agrees with the subject: je me, tu te, il se, nous nous, vous vous, ils se. Writing nous se lavons or je te lave (when you mean yourself) breaks the agreement.

3. Forgetting elision before a vowel

Before a vowel or silent h, use m', t', s': je m'appelle, il s'habille. Writing je me appelle is wrong; the vowels must not sit side by side.

4. Misplacing the pronoun in the near future

The reflexive pronoun goes before the infinitive: je vais me lever. Putting it before aller (je me vais lever) is a common slip.

5. Reciprocal meaning in the plural

In the plural, a reflexive can mean "each other": ils se regardent (they look at each other). > (Higher tier) — this reciprocal use is a Higher-tier extension; Foundation students focus on the "oneself" meaning. The perfect tense of reflexives (je me suis levé(e)) uses être with agreement and is covered in the perfect-tense-with-être lesson.