French Reflexive Verbs: Se Lever, S'appeler and Daily Routines

How reflexive verbs work in French, common examples for daily routine, their conjugation, and how they form the passé composé and imperative.

Reflexive verbs describe actions you do to yourself: getting up, washing, dressing. In French, many everyday verbs are reflexive, including one you'll use in your first sentence: je m'appelle.

How they work

A reflexive verb comes with an extra pronoun that refers back to the subject:

Subject	Reflexive pronoun
je	me (m')
tu	te (t')
il / elle / on	se (s')
nous	nous
vous	vous
ils / elles	se (s')

The infinitive has se: se laver (to wash oneself), se lever (to get up).

Conjugation: se laver

je me lave
tu te laves
il / elle / on se lave
nous nous lavons
vous vous lavez
ils / elles se lavent

Before a vowel: je m'habille, tu t'appelles, il s'est.

Daily routine vocabulary

se réveiller — to wake up
se lever — to get up
se laver — to wash
se brosser les dents — to brush one's teeth
s'habiller — to get dressed
se coiffer — to do one's hair
se maquiller — to put on makeup
se dépêcher — to hurry
se promener — to go for a walk
se reposer — to rest
se coucher — to go to bed
s'endormir — to fall asleep

Le matin, je me lève à sept heures, je me lave et je m'habille.

Verbs meaning "to be called" and feelings

s'appeler — to be called: Je m'appelle Marie.
se sentir — to feel: Je me sens fatigué.
s'intéresser à — to be interested in
se souvenir de — to remember
se tromper — to be mistaken
s'amuser — to have fun: On s'est bien amusés.
s'ennuyer — to be bored
s'inquiéter — to worry
se marier — to get married
s'asseoir — to sit down

Spelling changes

Se lever and s'appeler have spelling changes: je me lève, nous nous levons; je m'appelle, nous nous appelons.

Reciprocal verbs

Reflexive verbs can also express actions between people ("each other"):

Nous nous parlons tous les jours. — We talk to each other every day.
Ils se voient souvent. — They see each other often.
Elles se sont rencontrées à Paris. — They met in Paris.

Passé composé

Reflexive verbs use être as the auxiliary, and the past participle usually agrees with the subject:

Je me suis levé(e). — I got up.
Elle s'est lavée. — She washed.
Nous nous sommes couchés tard. — We went to bed late.

If the verb is followed by a direct object, such as a body part, the participle doesn't agree: Elle s'est lavé les mains.

Negative

Je ne me lève pas tôt. — I don't get up early. (ne + pronoun + verb + pas)

Imperative

Lève-toi ! — Get up!
Dépêchez-vous ! — Hurry up!
Ne te dépêche pas. — Don't hurry.

In the affirmative, the pronoun follows the verb with a hyphen, and te becomes toi.

Body parts

French uses the definite article with body parts, not possessives: Je me brosse les dents. — I brush my teeth. Il se lave les mains.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the reflexive pronoun.
Using avoir in the passé composé.
Using possessives with body parts.
Wrong pronoun for the subject.

Dictionary tip

Dictionaries list reflexive verbs under se or s', sometimes with the non-reflexive meaning, too: laver (to wash something) versus se laver (to wash oneself).

Practice

Describe your morning routine in ten sentences using reflexive verbs. Then rewrite it in the passé composé for yesterday.

Look up reflexive verbs with English French Dictionary →