Français II H – Leçon 2A Structures Reflexive Verbs Reflexives: Sens idiomatique
A reflexive verb usually describes what a person does to or for himself or herself. -It “reflects” the action of the verb back to the subject. - The pronoun se before an infinitive identifies the verb as reflexive: se laver
-Reflexive verbs always use reflexive pronouns. Je uses the reflexive pronoun me Tu uses te Il uses se Elle uses se Nous uses nous Vous uses vous Ils uses se Elles uses se The reflexive pronoun goes before the reflexive verb and the verb is conjugated like normal.
Se laver (to wash oneself) Je me lave I wash (myself) Tu te laves you wash (yourself) Il se lave He washes (himself) Elle se lave She washes (herself) Nous nous lavons We wash (ourselves) Vous vous lavez You wash (yourself) Ils se lavent They wash (themselves) Elles se lavent They wash (themselves)
reflexive non-reflexive You listed several reflexive verbs in your vocabulary notes for this chapter. Some verbs can be used both reflexively and non-reflexively. If the verb acts upon something other than the subject, the non-reflexive is used. reflexive non-reflexive La mère se réveille à sept heures. Ensuite, elle réveille son fils. The mother wakes up at 7 o’clock. Then, she wakes her son up. Negative: Je ne me lave pas.
Réflexives: Sens Idiomatique You’ve leaned that reflexive verbs “reflect” the action back to the subject. Some reflexive verbs, however, do not literally express a reflexive meaning.
s’amuser s’appeler s’arrêter
s’asseoir se détendre se dépêcher
s’énerver se disputer (avec) s’ennuyer
s’entendre bien (avec) s’inquiéter s’intéresser
se mettre à se mettre en colère s’occuper (de)
se préparer se promener se rendre compte
se reposer se souvenir (de) se tromper se trouver