Language/French/Grammar/Pronominal-verbs-and-body-parts

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Pronominal verbs & parts of the body

Rule

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.

The usual way to create sentences in which subjects do things to their own body is to use a pronominal verb and the body part preceded by a definite or indefinite article, and not a possessive determiner as in English:

Examples

  • Je me lave toujours les mains avec du savon avant chaque repas.

I always wash my hands with soap before every meal.

  • Il va se couper un doigt si il continue à ne pas faire attention.

He is going to cut his finger if he keeps not paying attention.

  • Il oublie toujours de se brosser les dents.

He always forgets to brush his teeth.

  • Vincent s'est cassé le bras en faisant du roller.

Vincent broke his arm while rollerblading.

Video: Reflexive verbs with body parts


Other Chapters

Table of Contents

Nouns


Determiners


Personal and impersonal pronouns


Adjectives


Adverbs


Numbers, measurements, time and quantifiers


Verb forms


Verb constructions


Verb and participle agreement


Tense


The subjunctive, modal verbs, exclamatives and imperatives


The infinitive


Prepositions


Question formation


Relative clauses


Negation


Conjunctions and other linking constructions

Contributors

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