French Reflexive Pronouns
|
If you say “I brush teeth” (je brosse les dents), you would be saying is that "I brush all the teeth in the world".
To say “I brush my teeth”, you have to say, “je me brosse les dents.” This translates literally as: I brush myself the teeth”.
The French Reflexive Pronouns are:
| English Subject | English Reflexive Pronoun | French Subject | French Reflexive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | (to) myself | je | me |
| you (informal, singular) | (to) yourself | tu | te |
| he/she/it | (to) him/her/its/ one-self |
il/elle/on | se |
| we | (to) ourselves | nous | nous |
| you (formal) | (to) yourself/yourselves | vous | vous |
| they | (to) themselves | ils/elles | se |
• me, te, se change to m' , t' , s' before a vowel or the letter 'h'.
• the French Reflexive Pronouns can be either direct or indirect objects.
• the reflexive pronouns go before the verb.
• When conjugated a reflexive verb in the passé composé, reflexive verbs use être, not avoir, and the past participle must agree in number and gender with the subject.
Verbs that are reflexive appear in their infinitive form with the reflexive pronoun se. The more common reflexive verbs are:
| French verb | English |
|---|---|
| se brosser | to brush oneself |
| s’habiller | to dress oneself |
| se déshabiller | to undress oneself |
| se réveiller | to wake oneself |
| s’asseoir | to sit down |
| se coucher | to go to bed |
| se doucher | to take a shower |
| se casser | to break, like a bone |
| se marier | to get married |
| se souvenir de | to remember |
Some examples of French Possessive Pronouns:
Je me réveille à 7 heures. - I wake up at 7 o’clock. (literally, I wake myself up).
Tu t’assieds ici. - You sit here. (you sit yourself here).
Elle se marie avec Jacques. - She is marrying Jacques. (she is marrying herself to Jacques).
Nous nous souvenons votre nom. - We remember your name. (we remember ourselves your name).
Vous vous se couchez à quelle heure? -
You go to bed at what time? (You put yourself to bed at what time?)
Ils se douchent chaque matin. -
They shower every morning. (They shower themselves every morning).
More French grammar lessons like this one French Possessive Pronouns