How to Conjugate and Use Reflexive Verbs in Sentences

What are Reflexive Verbs?

Reflexive verbs are special verbs where the subject (the person doing the action) and the object (the person receiving the action) are the same. In French, these verbs come with reflexive pronouns. These pronouns help show that the action goes back to the subject.

Here are some common reflexive pronouns:

• me (myself)
• te (yourself)
• se (himself/herself/oneself)
• nous (ourselves)
• vous (yourselves)
• se (themselves)

Present Tense Conjugation of Reflexive Verbs

To conjugate reflexive verbs in the present tense, use this pattern:

Subject Pronoun + Reflexive Pronoun + Verb

For example, the verb se laver (to wash oneself) looks like this:

• Je me lave. (I wash myself)
• Tu te laves. (You wash yourself)
• Il/elle/on se lave. (He/she/one washes himself/herself/oneself)
• Nous nous lavons. (We wash ourselves)
• Vous vous lavez. (You wash yourselves)
• Ils/elles se lavent. (They wash themselves)

Common Reflexive Verbs

Here are a few common reflexive verbs and what they mean:

• s'habiller - to get dressed
• se lever - to get up
• se coucher - to go to bed
• se réveiller - to wake up

Using Reflexive Verbs in Sentences

You can use reflexive verbs in sentences by thinking about what you want to say. Here are some examples:

1. Je me lève tôt. (I get up early.)
2. Nous nous habillons pour l'école. (We get dressed for school.)
3. Elle se réveille à sept heures. (She wakes up at seven o'clock.)

Negative Sentences with Reflexive Verbs

To make a negative sentence, use this pattern: ne + reflexive pronoun + verb + pas.

Here are some examples:

• Je ne me lève pas tôt. (I do not get up early.)
• Ils ne s'habillent pas. (They do not get dressed.)

Future Tense with Reflexive Verbs

For the simple future tense, you start with aller (to go) and then add the infinitive form of the reflexive verb:

• Je vais me coucher tôt. (I am going to go to bed early.)

Summary

Key Points:

• Reflexive verbs use a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject.
• The conjugation for present tense follows the usual rules.
• For negatives, you use "ne...pas."
• For future tense, use "aller" + the infinitive verb.

Learning to use reflexive verbs can make your French conversation better. Keep practicing conjugating and writing sentences to grow your skills!