Reflexive verbs have a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that refers back to the subject — the subject does the action to itself.
Je me lave. — I wash myself. Tu te lèves tôt. — You get up early. Elle se couche à 22h. — She goes to bed at 10pm. The reflexive pronoun must match the subject.
Reflexive Pronoun Conjugation Table
The pronouns change with each subject.
Subject
Reflexive
Example
je
me / m'
je me lève
tu
te / t'
tu te laves
il/elle/on
se / s'
il se couche
nous
nous
nous nous levons
vous
vous
vous vous rasez
ils/elles
se / s'
elles s'habillent
Common Reflexive Verbs
Many daily routine verbs are reflexive in French.
se lever — to get up se laver — to wash (oneself) se doucher — to have a shower se brosser les dents — to brush one's teeth se coucher — to go to bed s'appeler — to be called se dépêcher — to hurry
Reflexive Verbs — Negative and Question
In the negative, ne comes before the reflexive pronoun; pas after the verb.
Je ne me lève pas tôt. — I don't get up early. Il ne se douche pas le soir. — He doesn't shower in the evening. In a question with inversion, the pronoun stays with the verb: Te lèves-tu tôt ? — Do you get up early?
Reflexive Verbs in Passé Composé
Reflexive verbs always use être in the passé composé, and the past participle agrees with the subject.
Je me suis levé(e) tôt. — I got up early. Elle s'est lavée. — She washed herself. (agree: f. singular) Ils se sont couchés tard. — They went to bed late. (agree: m. plural) Structure: subject + reflexive pronoun + être (conjugated) + past participle (agreed).
Common Mistakes
nous nous levons
→
We get up — both 'nous' needed
Subject 'nous' + reflexive 'nous' — both required.