Class Note: Introduction to Reflexive Verbs in French

Objective

To understand what reflexive verbs are in French, how to recognize them, and how to correctly use and conjugate them in sentences.

Key Concepts

What Are Reflexive Verbs?

• Definition: Reflexive verbs describe actions a person does to themselves (e.g., getting oneself dressed, putting oneself to bed).
• English vs. French: English often doesn't use reflexives (e.g., "I got up at 6"), but French does ("I got myself up at 6").
• Identification: Reflexive verbs in French have "se" before the infinitive (e.g., se laver).

How to Spot Reflexive Verbs

• Look for "se" (or its variants "s'" before a vowel) before the verb (e.g., se laver, s'appeler).
• In dictionaries or online, "se" attached to the verb indicates it's reflexive.

Common Reflexive Verbs

| Verb (Infinitive) | Meaning | ||| | se coucher | to go to bed (put oneself to bed) | | se laver | to wash oneself | | s’appeler | to be called (to call oneself) | | s’arrêter | to stop oneself | | se baigner | to bathe oneself (to swim) | | se passer | to happen, to take place | | se trouver | to be located, to be situated | | se lever | to get up, to lift oneself | | se promener | to go for a walk (oneself) | | s’asseoir | to sit down (oneself) | | s’amuser | to have fun (enjoy oneself) | | se réveiller | to wake up (oneself) |

Reflexive Pronouns

| Person | Pronoun (before vowel: form) | |-|| | je (I) | me (m') | | tu (you) | te (t') | | il/elle/on | se (s') | | nous (we) | nous | | vous (you) | vous | | ils/elles | se (s') |

• Place the reflexive pronoun BEFORE the verb.

Example: se coucher (to go to bed) Conjugation

| French | English translation | |-|| | je me couche | I go to bed | | tu te couches | You go to bed (informal) | | il/elle/on se couche | He/She/One goes to bed | | nous nous couchons | We go to bed | | vous vous couchez | You go to bed (formal/pl.) | | ils/elles se couchent | They go to bed |

• Note: The reflexive pronoun matches the subject and comes before the verb, which is conjugated as usual.

Usage Tips

• Reflexive pronoun always goes before the verb.
• In the "nous" and "vous" forms, the reflexive pronoun matches the subject even though they may look repetitive (e.g., nous nous, vous vous).
• When the verb begins with a vowel, the pronoun contracts (e.g., s’appeler, m’appelle).

Practice Suggestions

• Memorize the list of common reflexive verbs.
• Practice conjugating reflexive verbs with different subjects.
• Apply the same conjugation method to all reflexive verbs.
• Watch for "se" in dictionaries to identify reflexive verbs.

Further Resources

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Peace and blessings – see you in the next lesson!