Language/French/Grammar/Reciprocal-se-and-cases-of-potential-ambiguity

Reciprocal se and cases of potential ambiguity

When the subject is third person plural, se may also be interpreted as a 'reciprocal' pronoun, corresponding to English 'each other'. In some cases se is therefore ambiguous, having a 'reflexive' or 'reciprocal' interpretation, and the meaning may depend on the context:

• Les deux écrivains s'admirent depuis 20 ans is most likely to be:

The two writers have admired each other for 20 years

but could possibly be:

The two writers have (each) admired themselves for 20 years

• Les deux amis se connaissent bien

The two friends know themselves or each other well

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Plural of words in "Al" & Adverb—adjective compounds.

Other Lessons

• Use of the definite article with quantities
• Feminine Form
• Infinitives
• Subject verb agreement — Verb agreement with collective noun subjects
• How to use « il s'agit de » in French
• "se faire" and "se laisser"
• Number differences between French and English nouns
• "C'est" or "Ce sont"
• Nouns which change meaning when they change gender
• How to use Have
• Regular plurals in French
• Ce, and compound forms of être
• Easy way of generating the present tense
• Choosing between il est and c'est
• Direct object and indirect object pronouns differences between English and French