Looking for a list of the Reflexive Verbs French people use the most? First let's explain what Reflexive verbs are:
Reflexive verbs, or ‘verbes pronominaux’ are widely used in French. What are they and which are the essential ones to know?
These verbs use a ‘reflexive pronoun’, which is placed in front of the verb in most tenses. In French we distinguish:
- “I wash myself” – Purely reflexive verbs, where the subject and object of the verb are the same. In other words, the action is done by the subject on itself. The pronoun in English will be translated by ‘himself’, ‘herself’, ‘ourselves’ etc. For instance: je me lave = I wash myself
- “They love each other” – Reciprocal verbs, where the subject and object are reciprocal. In English, we will express the pronoun by ‘each other’, ‘among themselves’ ‘one another’ etc. For example: Nous nous connaissons bien = we know each other well; ils s’aiment = they love each other.
- Special cases. Finally, pronominal constructions that don’t have any logical value (don’t you love those!), where the construction uses a reflexive pronoun that is usually not translated in English. For instance:
-
-
-
- Se promener = to go for a walk
- S’amuser = to have fun
- S’ennuyer = to be/get bored
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-
The good news is that all three types function the same way! That is, with a reflexive pronoun corresponding to the subject:
Pronouns for Reflexive Verbs in French:
| Subject pronoun | Reflexive pronoun | Example of conjugated verb |
| Je | me | Je me réveille |
| Tu | te | Tu te réveilles |
| Il/ Elle/ On | se | Elle se réveille |
| Nous | nous | Nous nous réveillons |
| Vous | vous | Vous vous réveillez |
| Ils/ Elles | se | Ils se réveillent |
- Note that me, te and se elide before a vowel or a mute h: je m’amuse, il s’ennuie, tu t’arrêtes, elles s’aiment. Same for the infinitive! S’arrêter = to stop
Here is a list of the 40 most common Reflexive Verbs French speakers use:
| s’aimer |
to love oneself / one another |
|
s’amuser |
to have fun |
|
s’appeler |
to be called |
|
s’arrêter |
to stop |
|
s’asseoir |
to sit down |
|
se baigner |
to go swimming |
|
se battre |
to fight |
|
se brosser (les dents, les cheveux) |
to brush (one’s teeth, one’s hair) |
|
se casser (la jambe, le bras…) |
to break (one’s leg, one’s arm…) |
|
se coiffer |
to style one’s hair |
|
se connaître |
to know one another |
|
se coucher |
to go to bed |
|
se couper |
to cut oneself |
|
se dépêcher |
to hurry |
|
se disputer |
to quarrel |
|
s’endormir |
to fall asleep |
|
s’énerver |
to get irritated, to get angry |
|
s’ennuyer |
to be/get bored |
|
s’habiller |
to get dressed |
|
s’habituer à |
to get used to |
|
s’inquiéter |
to worry |
|
s’inscrire |
to enroll, to sign up |
|
s’intéresser (à quelque chose) |
to be interested (in something) |
|
se laver (les mains, le visage, les cheveux…) |
to have a wash/ to wash (one’s hands, face, hair…) |
|
se lever |
to get up / to stand up |
|
se maquiller |
to put on makeup |
|
se marier (avec) |
to get married (to) |
|
se moquer de |
to make fun of |
|
se moucher |
to blow one’s nose |
|
s’occuper de |
to take care of |
|
se passer |
to happen, to occur |
|
se plaindre |
to complain |
|
se promener |
to go for a walk |
|
se rappeler |
to remember |
|
se raser |
to shave |
|
se rassembler |
to gather, to assemble (as a group) |
|
se réveiller |
to wake up |
|
se taire |
to get quiet |
|
se tromper |
to make a mistake, to be in the wrong |
|
se trouver |
to be (located) |
We hope you enjoyed this post about Reflexive Verbs French people use! Check out more of our posts for French grammar here.
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