Chapitre Six
Les verbes réfléchis et des verbes pronominaux
Exercice 6.6 - 6.11
Les verbes réfléchis
What they look like: The infinitive form of reflexive verbs is written with a “se” before the verb (such as se blesser and se sentir like we just saw in the last lesson). The “se” is a big red flag saying: HEY! I am a reflexive verb!
Modèles :
- Mon fils se blesse souvent parce qu’il joue sans précaution.
- Ma fille ne se blesse pas souvent parce qu’elle joue prudemment.
What they do and when they’re used:
Reflexive verbs are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same: the do-er and the receiver of the action are the same person. When learning the infinitives as vocabulary, a good strategy is to study them as “to (verb) oneself.”
For example, se blesser means to hurt oneself, and se laver means to wash oneself. To distinguish between when a verb may or may not be reflexive, consider the following:
- If I wash the car, I am the one doing the washing but I am not the one being washed. Laver would not be reflexive in this sentence.
- However, if I wash my hands, I am the one doing the washing AND I am the one being washed. Laver would become reflexive se laver for this sentence.
Modèles :
- Ma sœur est infirmière, alors elle se lave souvent les mains.
- Ma camarade de chambre fait la vaisselle et moi, je cuisine. (Note that washing the dishes has its own phrase in French.)
How reflexive verbs work:
Première étape : change the “se”
To conjugate reflexive verbs, first change the “se” you see at the end of the infinitive based on the do-er of the action. This is called the reflexive pronoun.
Reflexive Pronouns
se becomes:
| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person | me
myself |
nous
ourselves |
| 2nd person | te
yourself |
vous
yourselves |
| 3rd person | se
himself/herself/itself |
se themselves
|
Note that se has several different English equivalents. You will have to pay special attention to other clues in the sentence, especially when listening, to know who the speaker is talking about.
Deuxième étape : place the reflexive pronoun between the subject pronoun and the verb
Troisième étape : conjugate—Change the ending of the verb based on the subject as you normally do.
Modèle : Je me lave souvent les mains.
If you have a two-verb phrase, the second verb will be an infinitive.
You must change the “se” so it reflects the subject of the sentence even though the verb will be left in the infinitive. The word order does not change, however.
Modèles :
- Je suis en train de me laver les mains. I am in the middle of washing my hands.
- Tu n’aimes pas te laver souvent les mains. You don’t like to wash your hands often.
- Il a besoin de se laver les mains. He needs to wash his hands.
- Il faut se laver les mains. It is necessary to wash your hands.
When making general statements, use the “se” form.
- Il est nécessaire de se laver souvent les mains. It is necessary to wash your hands often.
Note:
We have not seen commands yet, but when we do, we will see that if you have an affirmative command that requires a reflexive pronoun, you must attach the pronoun to the end of the command with a hyphen; also, the te becomes toi in commands.
- Lave-toi les mains ! Wash your hands!
- Lavez-vous les mains ! Wash your hands!
Note:
the body part keeps the definite article les mains; we don’t say my/your/his/her/our/your/their hands in French when we use reflexive verbs.
Vocabulary: Des verbes pronominaux
Remember: When using reflexive verbs with parts of the body, use le/la/l’/les instead of possessive adjectives. Because of the reflexive verb, we already
know the body part belongs to that person.
Modèles :
- Nous nous lavons les cheveux.
- Vous vous brossez les dents.
- Séverin s’est endormi en classe parce qu’il travaille à plein temps. Et toi ? Est-ce que tu t’endors en classe ?
- Mon neveu n’aime pas se baigner.
- Jacques et Lucille s’entendent bien. Ils sont en couple. Ils s'embrassent parce qu'ils sont amoureux.
Exercice 6.6
Exercice 6.7
Exercice 6.8
Exercice 6.9
Exercice 6.10
Exercice 6.11
to injure (oneself); in French we use the reflexive but in English we would say "to get hurt"
to feel
my son
gets hurt
often
because
he plays recklessly
my daughter
doesn't get hurt
she plays cautiously
my sister
is
nurse
So
she washes her hands often
my roommate
does the dishes
and I cook
I wash my hands frequently.
to shave (oneself)
to wash (oneself)
to call (oneself)
to lie (oneself) down
to wake (oneself) up
to get (oneself) up
to brush (oneself)
to shower (oneself)
to bathe (oneself)
to have a good time
to fall asleep
to get along with
to put makeup on (oneself)
to comb (one's) hair
to dress (oneself)
to undress (oneself)
to break (a bone)
to remember
to rest
to go for a walk
to sit (oneself) down
to get bored, to be bored
to get irritated; to get angry
to get angry; to get mad
to kiss
we wash our hair
you brush your teeth
fell asleep in class
he works
full time
and you
do you fall asleep in class
my nephew doesn't like to take baths
get along well
they are a couple
they kiss each other
because
they are in love
