Language/French/Grammar/Pronominal-Verbs
[CHANGED]
What's a Pronominal Verb in French?[edit | edit source]
Pronominal verbs ("Les verbes pronominaux" in French), of which there are several categories, are verbs that are constructed with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) of the same person as the subject.
This pronoun is always placed before the verb.
Examples[edit | edit source]
- Tu t'es promenée à la campagne.
You took a walk in the countryside.
- Il s'est arrêté.
He stopped.
- Je m’étais perdu.
I got lost.
- Nous nous sommes retournés
We turned around
- Vous vous êtes souvenus du chemin.
You remembered the way.
- Ils se regardent dans le mirroir
They look at each other in the mirror
Subject-Verb Agreement of Pronominal Verbs in French[edit | edit source]
Pronominal verbs go with an unstressed pronoun that agrees with the subject, and is one of me, te, se, nous, vous
.
It can work as a direct object:
Direct object: se laver 'to wash (oneself)'[edit | edit source]
- je me lave
- tu te laves
- Paul se lave
- Virginie se lave
- nous nous lavons
- vous vous lavez
- ils se lavent
- elles se lavent
or as an indirect object:
Indirect object: se laver le visage 'to wash one's hands'[edit | edit source]
literally: 'to wash the hands'
- je me lave les mains
- tu te laves les mains
- Paul se lave les mains
- Virginie se lave les mains
- nous nous lavons les mains
- vous vous lavez les mains
- ils se lavent les mains
- elles se lavent les mains
Some verbs exist in both a pronominal and non-pronominal form, as "laver" does:
- laver la salle de bain
to wash the bathroom
- se laver le corps
to wash one's body
Others are always pronominal, for example:
- s'évanouir
to faint
- s'enorgueillir de
to take pride in
- s'évertuer à
to try very hard to
⚠ Important: All pronominal verbs are conjugated with the auxiliary "être" in compound tenses.
Video: French Made Easy: Reflexive Verbs[edit | edit source]
Other Chapters[edit | edit source]
Videos[edit | edit source]
Learn French - Pronominal Verbs ( Reflexive and Reciprocal Verbs ...[edit | edit source]
Learn French Grammar I Pronominal verbs with a passive meaning ...[edit | edit source]
Asking questions using French pronominal verbs - YouTube[edit | edit source]