French Pronominal Verbs

Words for washing, pronouns, each other, hurrying, and hands

• laver🔊wash
• me🔊me
• te🔊you
• se🔊oneself
• nous🔊us
• vous🔊you
• l'un l'autre🔊each other
• se dépêcher🔊hurry
• main🔊hand

Reflexive meaning: the subject acts on themself

In French, a reflexive verb uses a matching pronoun before the conjugated verb. English can say “I wash myself,” but French uses this pronoun as part of the verb: “Je me lave tous les matins.” Without it, the verb can take a different object: “Elle lave la voiture le dimanche” means she washes the car.

• Je me lave tous les matins.🔊

  I wash myself every morning.

• Elle lave la voiture le dimanche.🔊

  She washes the car on Sundays.

Match the reflexive pronoun to the subject; distinguish informal tu from vous

Match the pronoun to the subject: je → me, tu → te, il/elle/ils → se, nous → nous, and vous → vous. Before a vowel or silent h, me, te, and se become m’, t’, and s’. Use tu for one person addressed informally. Vous addresses either one person politely or several people, regardless of familiarity. The verb and reflexive pronoun have the same forms in both uses of vous; context tells you which is meant.

Reciprocal actions: plural subjects do something to each other

With a subject referring to several people, a pronominal verb can express an action done to each other. In “Ils se parlent tous les jours,” se means “to each other.” On can mean “we”: it takes a third-person singular verb and se, even when it refers to several people. In “On s'aide les uns les autres à faire nos devoirs,” les uns les autres makes the reciprocal meaning explicit. French can express “each other” through the pronoun alone; a separate expression is not always needed.

sujet pluriel pronom réfléchi correspondant verbe conjugué complément éventuel.

• On s'aide les uns les autres à faire nos devoirs.🔊

  We help each other with our homework.

• Ils se parlent tous les jours.🔊

  They talk to each other every day.

Lexical pronominal verbs: se dépêcher means to hurry

Some French verbs are pronominal as part of their meaning, even when the action is not done to oneself. English simply says “hurry,” but French keeps the matching pronoun: “Je dois me dépêcher” and “Nous nous dépêchons parce que nous sommes en retard.”

• Je dois me dépêcher.🔊

  I need to hurry.

• Nous nous dépêchons parce que nous sommes en retard.🔊

  We hurry because we're late.

Negation: ne + reflexive pronoun + conjugated verb + pas

sujet ne pronom réfléchi correspondant verbe conjugué pas complément éventuel.

• Ils ne se lavent pas ici.🔊

  They don't wash themselves here.

• Nous ne nous lavons pas dehors.🔊

  We don't wash ourselves outside.

Before an infinitive: put the reflexive pronoun directly before it

sujet verbe conjugué pronom réfléchi correspondant verbe à l’infinitif complément éventuel.

• Vous pouvez vous laver ici ?🔊

  Can you all wash yourselves here?

• Je dois me dépêcher.🔊

  I need to hurry.

• Je veux me laver avant de me coucher.🔊

  I want to wash myself before bed.

Negative infinitive: ne pas comes before the reflexive pronoun and infinitive

sujet verbe conjugué préposition éventuelle ne pas pronom réfléchi correspondant verbe à l’infinitif.

• J'essaie de ne pas me dépêcher.🔊

  I try not to hurry.

Body parts: use a definite article, not a possessive

sujet pronom réfléchi correspondant forme conjuguée de laver les partie du corps au pluriel complément éventuel.

• Je me lave les mains avant de manger.🔊

  I wash my hands before I eat.

• Nous nous lavons les mains avant le dîner.🔊

  We wash our hands before dinner.