French Pronominal Verbs (Les Verbes Pronominaux)
Pronominal verbs are conjugated with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that refers back to the subject. In the infinitive they are listed as se + verb: se lever, s’appeler, se souvenir. They are extremely common in French and cannot be avoided.
1. The Three Types
A. Reflexive (Réfléchis) — Subject Acts on Itself
The action reflects back onto the subject:
Je me lave. — I wash myself. Elle se regarde dans le miroir. — She looks at herself in the mirror. Nous nous levons à sept heures. — We get up at seven o’clock. Tu te couches tôt. — You go to bed early.
Common reflexive verbs:
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| se lever | to get up |
| se coucher | to go to bed |
| se réveiller | to wake up |
| se laver | to wash (oneself) |
| se brosser les dents | to brush one’s teeth |
| s’habiller | to get dressed |
| se déshabiller | to get undressed |
| se peigner / se coiffer | to comb/do one’s hair |
| se raser | to shave |
| se maquiller | to put on makeup |
| se regarder | to look at oneself |
| se promener | to take a walk |
| s’asseoir | to sit down |
| se reposer | to rest |
| s’endormir | to fall asleep |
| se dépêcher | to hurry |
B. Reciprocal (Réciproques) — Subjects Act on Each Other
Used only with plural subjects; the action is mutual:
Nous nous téléphonons tous les jours. — We call each other every day. Ils se parlent souvent. — They talk to each other often. Elles se connaissent depuis longtemps. — They have known each other for a long time. Vous vous êtes rencontrés où? — Where did you (all) meet?
Common reciprocal pronominal verbs: se voir, se parler, se téléphoner, se connaître, se retrouver, s’aimer, se quitter, s’écrire, se disputer, s’entendre (to get along)
C. Inherently Pronominal (Essentiellement Pronominaux)
These verbs only exist in pronominal form — the pronoun has no reflexive or reciprocal meaning; it is simply part of the verb:
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| se souvenir de | to remember |
| se rendre compte de | to realise |
| se méfier de | to distrust, beware of |
| se fier à | to trust |
| se tromper | to be mistaken |
| se passer | to happen |
| se plaindre | to complain |
| s’en aller | to go away, leave |
| se lever | — (also purely reflexive) |
| s’évanouir | to faint |
| se moquer de | to make fun of |
| se servir de | to use, make use of |
| s’en vouloir | to be angry with oneself |
Je me souviens de lui. — I remember him. (pronoun not truly reflexive) Ça se passe bien. — It’s going well. *Il **s’*est trompé. — He made a mistake.
2. Conjugation in the Present Tense
The reflexive pronoun matches the subject:
| Subject | Pronoun | se lever |
|---|---|---|
| je | me / m’ | je me lève |
| tu | te / t’ | tu te lèves |
| il/elle/on | se / s’ | il se lève |
| nous | nous | nous nous levons |
| vous | vous | vous vous levez |
| ils/elles | se / s’ | ils se lèvent |
me, te, se become m’, t’, s’ before a vowel or mute h:
*Je **m’**habille. Tu **t’**endors. Elle **s’*appelle.
3. Compound Tenses: Always with Être
All pronominal verbs form compound tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait, etc.) with être as the auxiliary — never avoir.
Je me suis levé(e) à huit heures. — I got up at eight. Ils se sont rencontrés en 2020. — They met in 2020. Elle s’était déjà endormie quand il est arrivé. — She had already fallen asleep when he arrived.
Past Participle Agreement
The past participle agrees in gender and number with the reflexive pronoun when it is the direct object (which is the case for most pronominal verbs):
| Subject | Past participle |
|---|---|
| il s’est levé | masculine singular (levé) |
| elle s’est levée | feminine singular (levée) |
| ils se sont levés | masculine plural (levés) |
| elles se sont levées | feminine plural (levées) |
Exception — No agreement when there is a separate direct object after the verb (the reflexive pronoun becomes an indirect object):
Elle s’est lavé les mains. — She washed her hands. (no agreement: mains is the direct object; se = indirect) Ils se sont parlé. — They spoke to each other. (no agreement: se = indirect object of parler à)
This is one of the most commonly confused agreement rules in French.
4. Negation
ne precedes the reflexive pronoun; pas follows the conjugated verb:
Je ne me lève pas tôt. — I don’t get up early. Il ne se souvient pas de toi. — He doesn’t remember you. *Elle **ne s’*est pas levée. — She didn’t get up. (compound tense)
5. Imperative of Pronominal Verbs
Affirmative Imperative
Pronoun follows the verb with a hyphen; me → toi, te → toi:
Lève-toi! — Get up! Dépêche-toi! — Hurry up! Levons-nous! — Let’s get up! Couchez-vous! — Go to bed!
Negative Imperative
Pronoun returns to pre-verb position:
Ne te lève pas! — Don’t get up! Ne vous couchez pas encore. — Don’t go to bed yet. Ne nous dépêchons pas. — Let’s not hurry.
6. Infinitive of Pronominal Verbs
The reflexive pronoun changes to match the subject of the main clause:
Je vais me lever tôt. — I’m going to get up early. Tu dois te dépêcher. — You must hurry. Ils veulent se marier. — They want to get married. Elle a décidé de se reposer. — She decided to rest.
7. Pronominal Verbs with Changed Meaning
Some verbs exist in both a regular and a pronominal form, with different meanings:
| Regular | Pronominal |
|---|---|
| appeler — to call | s’appeler — to be called/named |
| aller — to go | s’en aller — to go away/leave |
| demander — to ask | se demander — to wonder |
| douter — to doubt | se douter de — to suspect |
| entendre — to hear | s’entendre — to get along |
| mettre — to put | se mettre à — to begin to |
| passer — to pass | se passer — to happen |
| rendre — to give back | se rendre à — to go to; se rendre compte — to realise |
| servir — to serve | se servir de — to use |
| trouver — to find | se trouver — to be located |
| voir — to see | se voir — to see each other; to be obvious |
Il doute de son succès. — He doubts his success. Je me doutais qu’il viendrait. — I suspected he would come.
8. Common Mistakes
| Error | Correct |
|---|---|
| Je me suis levé(e) | |
| Elle s’est lavé les mains | |
| Lève-toi! | |
| Je me souviens de lui |