Pronominal Verbs (Verbes Pronominaux)

The pronominal verbs are those conjugated with reflexive or reciprocal pronouns. In this case, the pronoun (me, te, se, nous, or vous) changes to reflect the subject of the verb. In the imperative forms the reflexive pronoun is used in its tonic form (te becomes toi) after the verb and a hyphen is written between them, cf.:

• Dépêche-toi! Hurry up!
• Souvenons-nous. Let's remember.
• Amusez-vous! Have fun!

The particularities are shown in the following table:

Pronominal verbs are classified into three major groups according to their meaning: reflexive, reciprocal, and idiomatic.

Reflexive verbs

In a reflexive action the subject performs the action on itself. Note that English does not indicate reflexive meaning if it can be inferred from the context. In French, however, it must be explicitly stated by using a reflexive pronoun. Here is a list of common reflexive verbs:

Examples:

• Je me demande.
  I ask myself, I wonder.
• Tu te dis...
  You tell yourself...
• Il se regarde dans la glace.
  He looks at himself in the mirror.

If the subject performs the action on someone else, the verb is not reflexive. Compare the difference in meaning between se raser and raser in the following examples:

• Est-ce que Pierre se rase? Mais non, il est encore trop jeune.
  Does Pierre shave? Why no, he is still very young.
• Qu'est-ce qu'il fait, Pierre, avec le rasoir? Il rase son chien pour l'été.
  What's Pierre doing with the razor? He's shaving his dog for the summer.

When reflexive  verbs are used with parts of the body, they take the definite article (le, la, les) rather than the possessive article as in English:

• Pierre se lave les mains.
  Pierre washes his hands.
• Nous nous lavons le visage tous les jours.
  We do wash our faces every day.

Reciprocal verbs

The reciprocal action occurs between more than one subject. English often uses the phrase 'each other' to represent this kind of action. Here is a list of common reciprocal verbs:

Examples:

• Nous nous parlons.
  We are speaking to one another.
• Nous nous aimons même si nous nous disputons un peu.
  We love each other even if we fight a little bit.

Idiomatic verbs

Some pronominal verbs are idiomatic and do not represent reflexive or reciprocal actions per se. The list below includes common idiomatic pronominal verbs:

Examples:

• Vous vous ennuyez.
  You are bored.
• Assieds-toi et tais-toi, ma petite.
  "Sit down and shut up, little one!"
• Nous nous entendons très bien, sauf quand il se fâche.
  Usually we get along very well except when he gets angry.
• Nous allons nous marier un jour.
  We're going to get married someday.