# Reflexive Verbs: se lever

https://langs123.com/en/french/present/verbes-pronominaux/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> 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

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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

- 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

| Person | se lever | s’appeler | s’habiller |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

- Before an infinitive, the pronoun takes the person of the subject: **je vais me**, **nous voulons nous**. Tu dois **te** dépêcher. / Ils vont **se** promener. (You must hurry. / They are going for a walk.)
- For other negations, see Negation; for other questions, see Questions.

## Use: s’appeler and the daily routine

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **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

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 |