Reflexive Form of Pronouns

01

Forms of Reflexive Pronouns

The reflexive pronoun must always agree with the subject of the verb.

• For je (I), use me (myself).
• For tu (you, singular informal), use te (yourself).
• For il, elle, or on (he, she, it, one), use se (himself, herself, itself, oneself).
• For nous (we), use nous (ourselves).
• For vous (you, plural or formal), use vous (yourself, yourselves).
• For ils or elles (they), use se (themselves).

Note that for nous and vous, the reflexive form is identical to the subject pronoun.

• Je me lave.

  I wash myself.

• Nous nous levons tôt.

  We get up early.

• Elles se maquillent.

  They are putting on makeup.

02

Elision with Vowels

The pronouns me, te, and se end in an e. When the following verb begins with a vowel or a silent h, this letter is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe. This process is called elision.

• me becomes m'
• te becomes t'
• se becomes s'

• Il s'habille rapidement.

  He dresses himself quickly.

• Tu t'appelles comment ?

  What do you call yourself? (What is your name?)

03

Reciprocal Actions

With plural subjects (nous, vous, ils, elles), reflexive pronouns can also express reciprocal actions. This means the subjects are performing the action on each other rather than on themselves individually. The context of the sentence usually clarifies whether the meaning is reflexive or reciprocal.

• Nous nous aimons.

  We love each other.

• Ils se parlent tous les jours.

  They speak to each other every day.

04

Idiomatic Pronominal Verbs

Some verbs change their meaning entirely when used with a reflexive pronoun. In these cases, the pronoun does not literally translate to "myself" or "themselves," but is simply a required part of the verb structure.

• Je m'entends bien avec lui.

  I get along well with him. (from s'entendre)

• Elle se met à pleurer.

  She starts crying. (from se mettre à)

05

Placement in Commands (Imperative)

In the imperative mood (commands), the placement and form of the pronoun depend on whether the command is affirmative or negative.

Affirmative Commands

The pronoun is placed after the verb and connected with a hyphen. Additionally, me changes to moi and te changes to toi for easier pronunciation.

• Lève-toi !

  Get up!

• Dépêchez-vous !

  Hurry up!

Negative Commands

The pronoun remains before the verb, just like in standard sentences. me and te do not change forms.

• Ne te lève pas !

  Do not get up!

• Ne nous disputons pas.

  Let's not argue.