A2
Reflexive verbs
How French reflexive verbs work, where the pronoun goes, and why they all take être in the past.
A reflexive verb carries a pronoun that matches its subject. The dictionary form shows it as se.
| je me lève | I get up |
| tu te lèves | |
| il / elle se lève | |
| nous nous levons | |
| vous vous levez | |
| ils / elles se lèvent |
Je me lève à sept heures.
I myself raise at seven hours
I get up at seven.
French uses them where English does not
Se laver, se coucher, se réveiller, s’habiller, se dépêcher, s’appeler. English has wash, go to bed, wake up, get dressed, hurry, be called — no reflexive anywhere.
Comment tu t’appelles ?
how you yourself call
What’s your name?
Literally how do you call yourself. It is the ordinary way to ask.
The pronoun goes before the verb
Including in the negative, where it sits inside ne … pas.
Je ne me souviens pas.
I not myself remember not
I don’t remember.
Je ne souviens pas me.
Je ne me souviens pas.
The reflexive pronoun belongs immediately before the verb, inside the negative. Only in a positive command does it move behind — lève-toi.
They all take être in the past
Without exception. See the passé composé with être.
Elle s’est levée tôt.
she herself is raised (f.) early
She got up early.
Sometimes it is reciprocal
In the plural, se can mean each other rather than oneself.
Ils se sont rencontrés à Paris.
they each-other are met at Paris
They met in Paris.
And sometimes it changes the meaning
Passer is to pass; se passer is to happen. Rendre is to give back; se rendre compte is to realise. These are separate vocabulary items that happen to share a spelling.