A pronominal verb is conjugated with a pronoun that repeats the subject: je me lève, tu t’appelles, ils se parlent. The pronoun follows the subject and stands right before the verb: Je me lève. Tu te lèves. Elle se lève.
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronoun | me / te / se / nous / vous / se | Je m’appelle Léa. | My name is Léa. | |
| Form | se lever: je me lève / tu te lèves / il se lève / nous nous levons / vous vous levez / ils se lèvent | Elle se lève tôt. | She gets up early. | |
| Elision | me, te, se become m’, t’, s’ before a vowel or a silent h | Il s’habille. | He gets dressed. | |
| Position | the pronoun stands right before the verb | Nous nous couchons tard. | We go to bed late. | |
| Negation | ne before the pronoun, pas after the verb | Je ne me lève pas tôt. | I don't get up early. | |
| Question | est-ce que before the sentence | Est-ce que tu te lèves tôt ? | Do you get up early? | |
| Inversion | the pronoun stays before the verb, the subject follows it | À quelle heure te lèves-tu ? | What time do you get up? | |
| Infinitive | the pronoun agrees with the subject and comes before the infinitive | Je vais me coucher tôt. | I'm going to bed early. | |
| Reciprocal | with a plural subject, se means “each other” | Nous nous voyons le lundi. | We see each other on Mondays. | |
| Trap | do not forget the pronoun: je me lève | Je me lève à sept heures. | I get up at seven. | |
| Trap | a part of the body takes the article, not the possessive | Je me lave les mains. | I wash my hands. |
Overview
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- In the infinitive, a pronominal verb starts with se or s’: se lever, s’appeler. Je me lève à sept heures. / Je m’appelle Léa.I get up at seven. / My name is Léa.
- The pronoun changes with the subject and stands before the conjugated verb. Tu te lèves tôt. / Nous nous couchons tard.You get up early. / We go to bed late.
- In the affirmative imperative, the pronoun follows the verb: lève-toi. See Imperative: parle, parlons, parlez.
- In the passé composé, pronominal verbs take être: see Passé Composé: j’ai mangé.
Form: the present
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| Person | se lever | s’appeler | s’habiller | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | me lève | m’appelle | m’habille | |
| tu | te lèves | t’appelles | t’habilles | |
| il / elle / on | se lève | s’appelle | s’habille | |
| nous | nous levons | nous appelons | nous habillons | |
| vous | vous levez | vous appelez | vous habillez | |
| ils / elles | se lèvent | s’appellent | s’habillent |
- The pronoun repeats the subject: me with je, te with tu, se with il, elle, on, ils, elles, then nous and vous. Je me lave. / Tu te laves. / Elles se lavent.I wash. / You wash. / They wash.
- Before a vowel or a silent h, me, te and se become m’, t’ and s’. Je m’appelle Léa. / Il s’habille.My name is Léa. / He gets dressed.
- For lève and appelle, see the spelling of verbs in ‑er in Present Tense: ‑er Verbs.
Form: negation, questions and the infinitive
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| Form | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| subject + ne + me / te / se / nous / vous + verb + pas | Je ne me lève pas tôt. / Il ne s’appelle pas Paul. | I don't get up early. / His name isn't Paul. | |
| est-ce que + subject + me / te / se / nous / vous + verb | Est-ce que tu te lèves tôt ? / Est-ce qu’elle s’ennuie ? | Do you get up early? / Is she bored? | |
| me / te / se / nous / vous + verb + hyphen + subject | À quelle heure te lèves-tu ? / Comment vous appelez-vous ? | What time do you get up? / What is your name? | |
| subject + verb + me / te / se / nous / vous + infinitive | Je vais me coucher tôt. / Nous voulons nous reposer. | I'm going to bed early. / We want to rest. |
Use: s’appeler and the daily routine
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| s’appeler: giving and asking a name | Comment tu t’appelles ? — Je m’appelle Léa. | What's your name? — My name is Léa. | |
| The morning: se réveiller, se lever, s’habiller | Je me réveille à sept heures. / Elle se lève et s’habille. | I wake up at seven. / She gets up and gets dressed. | |
| Washing: se laver, se doucher | Tu te laves le matin ? / Elle se douche vite. | Do you wash in the morning? / She showers quickly. | |
| The evening: se coucher, se reposer | Nous nous couchons à onze heures. / Il se repose le dimanche. | We go to bed at eleven. / He rests on Sundays. | |
| Leisure and mood: se promener, s’amuser, se dépêcher | Ils se promènent au parc. / Je me dépêche. / Nous nous amusons bien. | They walk in the park. / I hurry. / We have a good time. | |
| With a preposition: s’intéresser à, s’occuper de | Elle s’intéresse à la musique. / Je m’occupe des enfants. | She is interested in music. / I look after the children. |
- With a part of the body, French uses the article, not the possessive: the pronoun already says whose it is. Je me lave les mains. / Elle se brosse les dents.I wash my hands. / She brushes her teeth.
Meaning: reflexive and reciprocal
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflexive: the subject acts on itself | Il se lave. / Je me regarde. | He washes. / I look at myself. | |
| Reciprocal: the subjects act on each other | Ils se parlent tous les jours. / Nous nous voyons le lundi. / On se retrouve à midi ? | They talk to each other every day. / We see each other on Mondays. / Shall we meet at noon? | |
| A meaning of the pronominal verb alone | La gare se trouve à droite. / Je me trompe de rue. | The station is on the right. / I've got the wrong street. |
| without a pronoun | with the pronoun | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je lave la voiture. | Je me lave. | I wash the car. / I wash. | |
| Il appelle Marie. | Il s’appelle Marie. | He calls Marie. / His name is Marie. | |
| Nous promenons le chien. | Nous nous promenons. | We walk the dog. / We go for a walk. |
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je appelle Léa. | Je m’appelle Léa. | s’appeler keeps its pronoun: je m’appelle | |
| Je lève à sept heures. | Je me lève à sept heures. | “get up” is se lever: the pronoun me is needed | |
| Nous se couchons tôt. | Nous nous couchons tôt. | nous → nous | |
| Je me ne lève pas. | Je ne me lève pas. | ne stands before the pronoun | |
| Comment appelez-vous ? | Comment vous appelez-vous ? | with inversion, the pronoun stays before the verb: vous appelez-vous | |
| Je lave mes mains. | Je me lave les mains. | a part of the body takes the pronoun and the article: je me lave les mains | |
| À quelle heure est-ce que te lèves-tu ? | À quelle heure est-ce que tu te lèves ? | one question marker only: est-ce que or inversion |