What are pronominal verbs?
A verbe pronominal comes with a reflexive pronoun that matches the person doing the action: je me lave (I wash myself). In the dictionary it appears with se: se lever, se laver, se coucher.
English often has no "myself" where French does: se lever (to get up), se coucher (to go to bed), s'appeler (to be called), se promener (to go for a walk). Without the pronoun the sentence is wrong or means something else.
Je me lève tôt.
I get up early.
Tu te laves les mains.
You wash your hands.
Il se couche tard.
He goes to bed late.
With parts of the body French uses the article, not my/your: te laves les mains, not lave tes mains. The pronoun already says whose hands.
The reflexive pronouns
se laver (to wash oneself)
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| je | je me lave |
| tu | tu te laves |
| il / elle / on | il se lave |
| nous | nous nous lavons |
| vous | vous vous lavez |
| ils / elles | ils se lavent |
Reflexive pronouns and present tense
Before a vowel or a mute h, me, te, se become m', t', s'.
Je m'appelle Marie.
My name is Marie.
Tu t'habilles vite.
You get dressed quickly.
Se lever changes its spelling: the e becomes è before a silent ending (je me lève, ils se lèvent), but stays e for nous and vous (nous nous levons).
Common pronominal verbs
se réveiller
to wake up
se lever
to get up
se laver
to wash (oneself)
s'habiller
to get dressed
se brosser les dents
to brush one's teeth
se coucher
to go to bed
s'appeler
to be called
se promener
to go for a walk
se reposer
to rest
Negation
The pronoun stays right before the verb, and ne … pas wraps around both: ne comes before the pronoun, pas after the verb.
Je ne me lève pas tôt.
I don't get up early.
Nous ne nous couchons pas tard.
We don't go to bed late.
Elle ne s'habille pas vite.
She doesn't get dressed quickly.
With an infinitive
After aller, vouloir or devoir the pronominal verb stays in the infinitive. The pronoun still matches the subject and stands directly before the infinitive.
Je vais me lever tôt.
I'm going to get up early.
Nous allons nous promener.
We're going to go for a walk.
Il veut se reposer.
He wants to rest.
