If you know the way to say your identify in French, you’re already acquainted with reflexive verbs! Within the phrase je m’appelle (my identify is), m’appelle comes from s’appeler (to name oneself), which is a reflexive verb. Its literal translation is “I name myself,” and whereas it’s probably your first reflexive verb in French, it positively gained’t be the final.
On this article, you’ll learn to outline, conjugate, and use widespread French reflexive verbs. Let’s get began…
What are French reflexive verbs?
Consider the phrase “replicate” if you hear the time period reflexive verbs. That’s precisely what French reflexive verbs do – they replicate the motion again to the topic. All reflexive verbs include a reflexive pronoun – within the verb se laver (to scrub oneself), for instance, se is the reflexive pronoun and laver is the verb.
That little se modifications the which means fully. If you happen to say Je lave (I wash), it signifies that you’re washing one thing else, and never your self.
Check out these examples:
- Je lave ma voiture – I wash my automobile
- Je me lave – I wash myself
Tips on how to conjugate reflexive verbs in French?
As we talked about, you want to conjugate each the verb and the reflexive pronoun. For instance, let’s conjugate a reflexive verb, se lever (to rise up) in current tense:
- Je me lève – I rise up
- Tu te lèves – You rise up
- Il/elle/on se lève – He/she/one will get up
- Nous nous levons – We rise up
- Vous vous levez – You rise up
- Ils/Elles se lèvent – They rise up
You’ll want to recollect the reflexive pronouns for every particular person, that are marked in daring above. Then, you’d conjugate the verb primarily based on French conjugation guidelines.
Fast notice on verbs that begin with a silent “h” or a vowel: On this case, the reflexive pronouns me, te, and se turn into m’, t’, and s’. That is primarily for simpler pronunciation. Right here’s the reflexive verb s’habiller (to dress) conjugated within the current tense:
- Je m’habille – I dress
- Tu t’habilles – You dress
- Il/elle/on s’habille – He/she/one will get dressed
- Nous nous habillons – We dress
- Vous vous habillez – You dress
- Ils/Elles s’habillent – They dress
Now that you know the way to conjugate reflexive verbs, you’re able to construct your vocabulary and research a few of the commonest verbs within the current tense. When you’re comfy, transfer ahead with different French tenses.
30 widespread reflexive verbs you must know
French reflexive verbs aren’t restricted to daily-life actions like se laver (to scrub oneself) and s’habiller (to dress). They’re additionally used when describing sure feelings, and speaking about mutual emotions. For instance, aimer means to like, and s’aimer means to like one another.
Beneath are some reflexive verbs you’ll usually hear in French, together with an instance sentence within the current tense:
|
English |
French |
Instance sentence |
|
To brush (oneself) |
Se brosser |
Je me brosse les dents (I brush my enamel) |
|
To clean (oneself) |
Se laver |
Je me lave les mains avant de manger (I wash my arms earlier than consuming) |
|
To take a bathe |
Se doucher |
Elle se douche tous les jours (She takes a bathe daily) |
|
To rise up |
Se lever |
Il se lève à 8h (He will get up at 8) |
|
To get up |
Se réveiller |
Vous vous réveillez tôt (You get up early) |
|
To shave (oneself) |
Se raser |
Mon père se rase la barbe (My father is shaving his beard) |
|
To placed on make-up |
Se maquiller |
Nous nous maquillons pour ce soir (We’re placing on make-up for tonight) |
|
To dress |
S’habiller |
Elle s’habille pour la fête (She’s getting dressed for the get together) |
|
To get aggravated |
S’énerver |
Tu t’énerves facilement (You get offended simply) |
|
To get apprehensive |
S’inquiéter |
Tes dad and mom s’inquiètent pour toi (Your dad and mom are apprehensive about you) |
|
To chill out |
Se détendre |
Je me détends devant la télé (I chill out in entrance of the TV) |
|
To go to mattress |
Se coucher |
Vous vous couchez tard (You go to mattress late) |
|
To relaxation |
Se reposer |
Je me repose en lisant (I relaxation whereas studying) |
|
To arrange (oneself) |
Se préparer |
Je me prépare pour un entretien (I’m making ready for an interview) |
|
To sit down down |
S’asseoir |
Il s’assoit sur un banc (He sits on a bench) |
|
To cease |
S’arrêter |
Le prepare s’arrête à chaque station (The prepare stops at every station) |
|
To really feel |
Se sentir |
Elles se sentent seules à l’étranger (They really feel lonely overseas) |
|
To get bored |
S’ennuyer |
Ils s’ennuient pendant les réunions (They get bored throughout the conferences) |
|
To apologize |
S’excuser |
Il s’excuse pour son retard (He apologizes for being late) |
|
To recollect |
Se memento de |
Je me souviens de toi (I bear in mind you) |
|
To be referred to as |
S’appeler (used when saying your identify) |
Remark tu t’appelles? (What’s your identify?) |
|
To like one another |
S’aimer |
Ils s’aiment (They love one another) |
|
To get married |
Se marier |
Ils se marient l’année prochaine (They’re getting married subsequent yr) |
|
To have enjoyable |
S’amuser |
Je m’amuse beaucoup avec mes amis (I’ve a variety of enjoyable with my pals) |
|
To anticipate |
S’attendre |
Je m’attends à une réponse négative (I’m anticipating a damaging reply) |
|
To rush |
Se dépêcher |
Nous nous dépêchons pour arriver à l’heure (We hurry to reach on time) |
|
To make errors |
Se tromper |
Il se trompe souvent (He usually make errors) |
|
To make enjoyable of |
Se moquer de |
Tu te moques de moi! (You’re making enjoyable of me!) |
|
To get alongside |
S’entendre |
Mes cousins s’endendent bien (My cousins get alongside nicely) |
|
To appreciate |
Se rendre compte de |
Je me rends compte de mon erreur (I notice my mistake) |
Get acquainted with reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs will come up on a regular basis if you’re studying French on-line. Take your time overlaying their current tense conjugations, so that you set sturdy foundations for all the opposite tenses.
A great way to familiarize your self with new verbs and tenses is to enhance your publicity to the language. Watch movies, hearken to podcasts, and browse books to see how reflexive verbs are utilized in context.
For the perfect outcomes, mix these with on-line French classes. While you work with a 1-on-1 tutor, you get customized assist with all points of the language. So whether or not you want some matter explanations on reflexive verbs otherwise you wish to follow them via role-play workout routines, your tutor can be comfortable to assist!