Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns

Reflexive verbs in French are identified by the reflexive pronoun that appears before them. They are used when the subject and the object of the action are the same. For instance, ‘Je me lave’ translates to ‘I wash myself’.
The reflexive pronouns are: me (myself), te (yourself, singular), se (himself, herself, itself, oneself), nous (ourselves), vous (yourself, plural, yourselves), se (themselves).
When using reflexive verbs in the present tense, the verb is conjugated in the same way as regular verbs, but the reflexive pronoun changes to match the subject. For example, ‘Je me lave’, ‘Tu te laves’, ‘Il/Elle/On se lave’, ‘Nous nous lavons’, ‘Vous vous lavez’, ‘Ils/Elles se lavent’.
Reflexive verbs can occur in all tenses. When using reflexive verbs in the past tense (passe compose), the auxiliary verb ‘être’ is used, rather than ‘avoir’.
When using reflexive actions in the past tense, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, ‘Elle s’est lavée’ (She washed herself).
Negative sentences with reflexive verbs place the negation around the reflexive pronoun and the auxiliary verb. For example, ‘Je ne me suis pas levé’ (I did not get up).
Reflexive verbs are used quite frequently in French, often in daily routine or personal care contexts. Thus, becoming familiar with them can significantly improve your speaking and writing skills.
Not all verbs that use reflexive pronouns are reflexive in the usual sense. Some examples include ‘se souvenir de’ (to remember), ‘se moquer de’ (to make fun of), and ‘se rendre compte de’ (to realize).
In the imperative mood, the reflexive pronoun is placed after the verb, and hyphen is added between them. For example: ‘Lève-toi !’ (Get up!). However, in negative imperatives, the pronoun returns to its position before the verb: ‘Ne te lève pas.’ (Don’t get up).
When reflexive verbs are used infinitely, the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the main verb. For instance, ‘Elle doit se lever’ (She must get up).