Learn about reflexive verbs in French, including how they’re formed, and when they’re used.

If you’ve ever taken a French class and found yourself wondering why your verb suddenly comes with a tiny sidekick like me, te, or se—don’t worry, you’re not alone. 

Reflexive verbs can feel like a quirky little plot twist in your French learning journey. I like to think of them as the “look in the mirror” verbs. You know, the kind of actions you do to yourself: I wash myself, you dress yourself, he shaves himself… Very introspective, very French.

Today, I want to walk you through everything you need to know about French reflexive verbs—from what they are, to how to conjugate them, and when to use them in real-life conversations. 

So grab a coffee, find a cozy seat, and let’s dive into the wonderfully reflective world of les verbes pronominaux.

What Are Reflexive Verbs?

Reflexive verbs in French are verbs where the subject is doing something to or for themselves. The action “reflects” back onto the subject—hence the name “reflexive.”

Let me give you a simple example:

• Je lave la voiture = I wash the car.
• Je me lave = I wash myself.

In the second sentence, the verb laver is now reflexive because I’m doing the action to myself.

In French, reflexive verbs always come with a reflexive pronoun, which changes depending on the subject:

Subject Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun	Example
Je	Me (m’)	Je me lève (I get up)
Tu	Te (t’)	Tu te brosses les dents (You brush your teeth)
Il/elle/on	Se (s’)	Elle se maquille (She puts on makeup)
Nous	Nous	Nous nous réveillons (We wake up)
Vous	Vous	Vous vous habillez (You get dressed)
Ils/elles	Se (s’)	Ils se couchent (They go to bed)

How to Conjugate Reflexive Verbs

Now that you’ve met the reflexive pronouns, let’s talk about conjugation.

Reflexive verbs are conjugated just like regular verbs, but with that little reflexive pronoun in front. Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Pick the subject (je, tu, etc.)
2. Choose the correct reflexive pronoun
3. Conjugate the verb in the tense you need
4. Put the reflexive pronoun before the verb

Let’s try it with the verb se lever (to get up) in the present tense:

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun	Verb	Full Sentence
Je	Me	Lève	Je me lève
Tu	Te	Lèves	Tu te lèves
Il/Elle	Se	Lève	Il se lève
Nous	Nous	Levons	Nous nous levons
Vous	Vous	Levez	Vous vous levez
Ils/Elles	Se	Lèvent	Ils se lèvent

Notice that the verb is conjugated like lever (to raise) normally would be—but the reflexive pronoun has to come along for the ride.

And don’t forget: in compound tenses like the passé composé, reflexive verbs are always conjugated with être, not avoir!

Here’s se lever in the passé composé:

• Je me suis levé(e) – I got up
• Tu t’es levé(e) – You got up
• Il s’est levé / Elle s’est levée – He got up / She got up
• Nous nous sommes levé(e)s – We got up
• Vous vous êtes levé(e)(s) – You got up
• ls se sont levés / Elles se sont levées – They got up

Gender and number agreements matter here! If you’re a woman saying I got up, you’ll say: Je me suis levée (with an extra e).

When Do We Use Reflexive Verbs?

Reflexive verbs are everywhere in French, especially in daily routines and personal care.

Here are some common reflexive verbs that you’ll use all the time:

Reflexive Verb	Meaning
Se réveiller	To wake up
Se lever	To get up
Se laver	To wash oneself
S’habiller	To get dressed
Se brosser	To brush
Se coucher	To go to bed
Se maquiller	To put on makeup
Se raser	To shave
Se dépêcher	To hurry up
Se souvenir (de)	To remember
Se promener	To take a walk

Let’s look at a few in action:

• Je me réveille à 7h du matin. — I wake up at 7 AM.
• Elle se maquille avant de sortir. — She puts on makeup before going out.
• Nous nous promenons dans le parc. — We’re taking a walk in the park.
  

They also come up in idiomatic expressions, where the reflexive part doesn’t always directly mean “doing something to yourself”—but it’s still part of the structure. These are worth memorizing as fixed expressions.

For example:

• s’en aller – to leave
• s’intéresser à – to be interested in
• se fâcher – to get angry
• se moquer de – to make fun of

Negative Sentences with Reflexive Verbs

Now, let’s talk about how to say what you didn’t do with reflexive verbs. The good news? It’s not too tricky once you get the hang of it.

In a negative sentence using a reflexive verb, we just need to sandwich the “ne…pas” (or other negative expressions) around both the reflexive pronoun and the verb. But the placement depends on the tense you’re using.

Let’s break it down.

In the Present Tense

Here, you place “ne” before the reflexive pronoun, and “pas” after the verb.

Example:

✅Je me lève – I get up.

❌ Je ne me lève pas – I don’t get up.

Here’s a few more for practice:

• Tu te couches tôt. → You go to bed early.
• Tu ne te couches pas tôt. → You don’t go to bed early.
• Il se rase le matin. → He shaves in the morning.
• Il ne se rase pas le matin. → He doesn’t shave in the morning.

In the Passé Composé (Past Tense)

When using reflexive verbs in the passé composé, the reflexive pronoun and the auxiliary verb être are “inside” the ne…pas sandwich. The past participle comes after “pas.”

Example:
✅ Je me suis levé(e) – I got up.

❌ Je ne me suis pas levé(e) – I didn’t get up.

Notice how “ne” goes before me suis, and “pas” comes after suis.

Let’s try a few more:

• Nous nous sommes réveillés. → We woke up.
• Nous ne nous sommes pas réveillés. → We didn’t wake up.
• Elles se sont maquillées. → They put on makeup.
• Elles ne se sont pas maquillées. → They didn’t put on makeup.

Pro Tip: Watch out for agreements! Even in negative sentences, the past participle might still need to agree in gender and number.

Questions with Reflexive Verbs

Asking questions with reflexive verbs follows the same logic as regular French questions—you just have to know where to put the pieces.

There are three main ways to ask questions in French, and reflexive verbs can fit into all of them.

1. Intonation (Just Add a Question Mark)

This is the casual way, great for everyday spoken French. You simply say the sentence like a statement but raise your voice at the end.

Example: Tu te lèves ? – Are you getting up?

Here are more examples:

• Vous vous habillez ? – Are you getting dressed?
• Il se repose ? – Is he resting?

2. Est-ce que… Questions

This is a little more formal or textbook-style, but still super common and clear.

Just place “Est-ce que” at the beginning of your sentence.

Example: Est-ce que tu te lèves ? – Are you getting up?

More examples:

• Est-ce qu’elle se maquille ? – Is she putting on makeup?
• Est-ce que vous vous amusez ? – Are you having fun?
  

Note: If your subject starts with a vowel, you’ll need to add the “qu’” form: Est-ce qu’il…, Est-ce qu’elle…

3. Inversion (Fancy/Formal Style)

This one is the most formal and typically used in writing or very formal speech. You invert the subject and the verb.

Example: Te lèves-tu ? – Are you getting up?

Here, the reflexive pronoun comes before the verb, and the subject comes after.

A few more examples:

• Vous habillez-vous ? – Are you getting dressed?
• Se repose-t-il ? – Is he resting?
  

Don’t forget the “-t-” in between when the verb ends in a vowel and the subject begins with one. That little “t” makes pronunciation smoother.

Reflexive Verbs in Negative Questions

Yep—you can combine it all! Let’s look at a negative question:

• Tu ne te lèves pas ? – Aren’t you getting up?
• Est-ce que tu ne te brosses pas les dents ? – Don’t you brush your teeth?
• Ne vous habillez-vous pas ? – Aren’t you getting dressed? (formal)

Final Thoughts: Reflect on the Reflexive

Reflexive verbs can feel like a grammar puzzle at first, but once you see how they work in your daily routine, they’ll start to feel second nature. You use them every time you talk about getting ready, feeling emotions, or even just remembering things. Once you unlock how reflexive verbs work, you’ll find they open up so many new ways to express yourself.

So go ahead: levez-vous, habillez-vous, and jetez-vous into the world of French reflexive verbs!

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