French Reflexive Pronouns: Saying 'I Hurt Myself' and Similar Actions
Learn French reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) for actions where the subject and object are the same person, and see how they differ from direct and indirect object pronouns.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In French, when you do something to yourself, you normally use a reflexive pronoun before the verb: Je me lave (I wash myself). The pronoun changes with the subject: me, te, se, nous, vous, se. This is different from object pronouns like me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les, which point to someone or something else. In this lesson you will learn the reflexive pronouns, their position in the sentence, and how to use them with common everyday verbs.
By the end, you can…
- name the six French reflexive pronouns and match them to the correct subject.
- use reflexive verbs in the present tense to describe actions done to oneself.
- tell the difference between a reflexive pronoun and a direct or indirect object pronoun.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Je me lave.
I wash myself.
zhuh muh lahv
The reflexive pronoun me comes before the verb and matches the subject je.
Tu te regardes dans le miroir.
You look at yourself in the mirror.
too tuh ruh-gard dahn luh mee-rwahr
Te is the reflexive pronoun for tu; it is not the same as the object pronoun te in all contexts, but the form is identical.
Il se rase le matin.
He shaves in the morning.
eel suh rahz luh mah-tan
Se is used for both il and elle, and also for ils and elles in the plural.
Nous nous amusons.
We are having fun.
noo noo zah-moo-zohn
The first nous is the subject; the second nous is the reflexive pronoun.
Vous vous dépêchez.
You are hurrying.
voo voo day-pay-shay
Use vous vous for one person in a formal situation or for a group.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The reflexive pronoun goes before the verb and changes with the subject: je me, tu te, il/elle/on se, nous nous, vous vous, ils/elles se. Examples: Je me couche tôt. (I go to bed early.) Elle se maquille. (She puts on makeup.) Nous nous levons à sept heures. (We get up at seven.) The pronoun is part of the verb phrase, so you do not repeat it after the verb.
When to use it
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and the object are the same person or thing. Compare: Je lave la voiture. (I wash the car — object is the car.) Je me lave. (I wash myself — object is me.) Some verbs are always reflexive in French, such as se souvenir (to remember) and s'appeler (to be called). In the negative, ne goes before the reflexive pronoun and pas after the verb: Je ne me rase pas. (I am not shaving.)
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Tu te lèves tôt demain ?
Are you getting up early tomorrow?too tuh lehv toh duh-manOui, je me lève à six heures.
Yes, I am getting up at six.wee, zhuh muh lehv ah see zuhrEt ton frère, il se lève aussi ?
And your brother, is he getting up too?ay tohn frehr, eel suh lehv oh-seeNon, il ne se lève pas avant huit heures.
No, he does not get up before eight.nohn, eel nuh suh lehv pah ah-vahn wee tuhrA little context goes a long way
In everyday French, reflexive verbs are very common for daily routines, feelings, and reciprocal actions. In fast speech, the e of me, te, se is often dropped before a vowel sound (elision), as in je m'appelle or il s'habille; before a consonant, the e is usually kept but may be reduced, as in je me lève. Learners should keep the full written form at first. In Quebec and other regions, the same reflexive pronouns are used, but some everyday verbs may be chosen differently; for example, magasiner is common in Canadian French for shopping, while standard French often uses faire les courses or faire du shopping.
One thing to watch for
Je lave moi.
Try this instead: Say Je me lave. The reflexive pronoun me must come before the verb, not after it. Use moi only for emphasis or after a preposition, as in C'est pour moi.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Complete with the correct reflexive pronoun: Nous ___ couchons à dix heures.
Show a sample answer
nous
The subject nous takes the reflexive pronoun nous, so the full sentence is Nous nous couchons à dix heures.
2Choose the correct sentence: (a) Elle se regarde dans le miroir. (b) Elle regarde se dans le miroir.
Show a sample answer
(a) Elle se regarde dans le miroir.
The reflexive pronoun se goes before the verb regarde. Option (b) puts it after the verb, which is not correct in a simple present-tense sentence.
3Make it negative: Je me rase.
Show a sample answer
Je ne me rase pas.
Place ne before the reflexive pronoun me and pas after the verb rase. The same pattern works for other simple tenses.
Use me, te, se, nous, vous, se before the verb when the subject does the action to itself; keep ne before the pronoun and pas after the verb in the negative.
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