Pronominal verbs
Several different types of verbs are included in the pronominals: the reflexive, the reciprocal, the passive, and the subjective. Too many? Not at all! As you study the different types, you’ll discover the subtleties of each. How to identify pronominal verbs? Pronominal verbs are verbs that are preceded in the infinitive and in conjugated forms by the pronouns me, te, se, nous, vous, se. Let’s start with the reflexive verbs.
Reflexive verbs
The action of a reflexive verb is, for the most part, reflected back on the subject, the action being done to oneself. The pronouns me, te, se drop the e before mute h or a vowel.
je me lève - I get up nous
tu te lèves - you get up
il/elle se lève - he/she gets up
nous nous levons - we get up
vous vous levez - you get up
ils/elles se lèvent - they get up
Il se lève à sept heures.
He gets up at seven.
Je me couche à onze heures.
I go to bed at eleven.
Il s’assoit sur un banc.
He sits down on a bench.
In the negative form, the ne follows the subject pronoun and the pas follows the conjugated verb.
Elle ne se réveille pas avant huit heures.
She does not wake up until eight o’clock.
Tu ne te reposes pas assez.
You do not rest enough.
In the interrogative form, there are three ways of asking questions. You can always make a question with rising intonation (Tu te couches déjà?). When inversion is used, the reflexive pronoun remains in front of the verb.
Se rase-t-il tous les matins?
Does he shave every morning?
S’occupent-elles de ce dossier?
Are they taking care of this case (file)?
Vous maquillez-vous pour monter sur scène?
Do you put on makeup to go on stage?
Don’t forget the simple interrogative with est-ce que:
Est-ce que vous vous préparez à partir?
Are you getting ready to leave?
Est-ce que tu t’habilles pour la soirée?
Are you getting dressed for the party?