Reflexive Verbs in French: Rules, Conjugation, and 30 Common Verbs

Key takeaways

• Reflexive verbs use a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) to show the subject acts on itself
• In the passé composé, all reflexive verbs take être as the auxiliary verb
• Many French verbs change meaning when used reflexively vs. non-reflexively
• Reciprocal verbs use the same structure but express a mutual action between multiple subjects

Learning how to talk about your daily routine in French means wrestling with reflexive verbs almost immediately: se lever, se laver, s’habiller. These verbs look strange at first because they include a pronoun that has no direct equivalent in English.

italki connects learners with French teachers who can correct your reflexive verb errors in real time and make the patterns feel natural faster.

This guide covers what reflexive verbs are, the full set of reflexive pronouns, how to conjugate reflexive verbs in the present tense and the passé composé, negation and question forms, a table of 30 common reflexive verbs, reciprocal verbs, and verbs that shift meaning when used reflexively.

What are reflexive verbs?

A reflexive verb describes an action that the subject performs on itself. In French, they are formed with the prefix se (or s’ before a vowel) in the infinitive: se lever, s’appeler, se souvenir.

In English, we sometimes express the same idea with myself, yourself, etc.: I wash myself. But many French reflexive verbs have no clean English equivalent. Je m’ennuie (I am bored) and Je me souviens (I remember) do not contain any reflexive sense in their English translations.

Reflexive verbs are extremely common in French and essential for talking about:

• Daily routines (se réveiller, se brosser les dents, se coucher)
• Emotions and feelings (se sentir, se fâcher, s’inquiéter)
• Reciprocal actions (se parler, se voir, s’aimer)

Reflexive pronouns

Each subject pronoun pairs with a specific reflexive pronoun:

Subject	Reflexive pronoun	Example
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

The reflexive pronoun always comes directly before the verb (or before the auxiliary verb in compound tenses). Me, te, and se elide to m’, t’, and s’ before a vowel:

• Je m’appelle Marie. (My name is Marie.)
• Tu t’habilles vite. (You get dressed quickly.)

French subject pronouns matter here because every reflexive form changes with the subject.

Present tense conjugation

Conjugating a reflexive verb in the present tense follows regular conjugation rules for the verb stem, with the reflexive pronoun added in front.

Example: se lever (to get up): base verb lever is an -er verb with a stem change.

Subject	Form
je	me lève
tu	te lèves
il / elle / on	se lève
nous	nous levons
vous	vous levez
ils / elles	se lèvent

Example: s’appeler (to be called): stem-changing -er verb.

Subject	Form
je	m’appelle
tu	t’appelles
il / elle / on	s’appelle
nous	nous appelons
vous	vous appelez
ils / elles	s’appellent

Working through these conjugations with an online French teacher helps you catch stem changes and elisions that are easy to miss when studying alone.

Passé composé conjugation

This is where reflexive verbs differ sharply from most other verbs: all reflexive verbs use être as their auxiliary in the passé composé, never avoir. Avoir conjugation in French is still useful for comparing auxiliary patterns.

Structure: reflexive pronoun + être (conjugated) + past participle

The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject when the reflexive pronoun is the direct object, which is the case for most reflexive verbs.

Example: se lever (to get up)

Subject	Passé composé
je (m.)	je me suis levé
je (f.)	je me suis levée
tu (m.)	tu t’es levé
tu (f.)	tu t’es levée
il / on	il s’est levé
elle	elle s’est levée
nous (m.)	nous nous sommes levés
nous (f.)	nous nous sommes levées
vous (m. sg.)	vous vous êtes levé
vous (f. pl.)	vous vous êtes levées
ils	ils se sont levés
elles	elles se sont levées

Exception: When the reflexive pronoun is the indirect object (usually with a body part as the direct object), the past participle does not agree.

• Elle s’est lavé les mains. (She washed her hands.) les mains is the direct object; se is indirect, so no agreement on lavé.

Passé composé in French explains the tense rules behind these reflexive past-tense forms.

Negation with reflexive verbs

In the negative, ne comes before the reflexive pronoun, and pas (or another negative word) comes after the verb:

Present tense:

• Je ne me lève pas tôt. (I don’t get up early.)
• Il ne se souvient pas de toi. (He doesn’t remember you.)

Passé composé:

• Elle ne s’est pas réveillée à l’heure. (She didn’t wake up on time.)

Ne…pas wraps around the pronoun + auxiliary unit, not the past participle.

Questions with reflexive verbs

Inversion: The subject pronoun and auxiliary invert, but the reflexive pronoun stays before the verb:

• Se lève-t-il tôt? (Does he get up early?)
• Vous êtes-vous levés? (Did you get up?)

Est-ce que: Simply add est-ce que before the statement. No word order changes:

• Est-ce que tu te réveilles tôt?

30 common reflexive verbs

Infinitive	Meaning	Example sentence
se lever	to get up	Je me lève à sept heures.
se coucher	to go to bed	Elle se couche tard.
se réveiller	to wake up	Nous nous réveillons tôt.
se laver	to wash oneself	Il se lave les mains.
se brosser (les dents)	to brush (one’s teeth)	Tu te brosses les dents.
s’habiller	to get dressed	Je m’habille en cinq minutes.
se déshabiller	to get undressed	Il se déshabille avant de dormir.
se raser	to shave	Mon père se rase chaque matin.
se maquiller	to put on makeup	Elle se maquille rapidement.
se peigner	to comb one’s hair	Je me peigne devant le miroir.
s’appeler	to be called	Je m’appelle Sophie.
se souvenir (de)	to remember	Tu te souviens de lui?
s’asseoir	to sit down	Asseyez-vous, s’il vous plaît.
se dépêcher	to hurry	Dépêche-toi!
s’ennuyer	to be bored	Je m’ennuie en cours.
se promener	to go for a walk	Nous nous promenons le dimanche.
se reposer	to rest	Elle se repose après le travail.
s’amuser	to have fun	Les enfants s’amusent au parc.
se fâcher	to get angry	Il se fâche facilement.
se sentir	to feel	Comment tu te sens?
s’inquiéter	to worry	Ne t’inquiète pas!
se tromper	to make a mistake	Je me suis trompé de route.
se moquer (de)	to make fun of	Il se moque de tout.
se passer	to happen	Qu’est-ce qui se passe?
s’en aller	to leave / go away	Il s’en est allé sans un mot.
se retrouver	to meet up	On se retrouve à midi?
se marier	to get married	Ils se marient en juin.
se disputer	to argue	Ils se disputent souvent.
se perdre	to get lost	Je me suis perdu dans la ville.
s’occuper (de)	to take care of	Je m’occupe des enfants.

Verbs that change meaning when reflexive

Some French verbs have a different meaning in their reflexive form. Knowing both versions prevents confusion.

Non-reflexive	Meaning	Reflexive	Meaning
appeler	to call	s’appeler	to be named
aller	to go	s’en aller	to leave
passer	to pass / spend	se passer	to happen
perdre	to lose	se perdre	to get lost
trouver	to find	se trouver	to be located
mettre	to put	se mettre	to start doing / put oneself
battre	to beat	se battre	to fight
occuper	to occupy	s’occuper de	to take care of

Reciprocal verbs

Reciprocal verbs use the same reflexive structure but describe a mutual action between two or more subjects. They always appear in the plural (nous, vous, ils, elles) or with on as informal we.

• Ils se parlent chaque jour. (They talk to each other every day.)
• Nous nous voyons souvent. (We see each other often.)
• Elles se sont aimées. (They loved each other.)

The structure is identical to reflexive verbs, but the meaning is each other or one another rather than oneself.

Practice tips

Writing out your own morning routine entirely in French using reflexive verbs is an excellent first exercise. Include every step from waking up to leaving home.

Next, practice converting sentences between the present tense and the passé composé, paying close attention to auxiliary être and past participle agreement.

A private French tutor on italki can walk through any confusion with agreement rules and give you spoken practice so reflexive verb usage becomes automatic.

Master French reflexive verbs with expert guidance

Reflexive verbs show up in virtually every French conversation that involves daily life, feelings, or relationships. Once the structure clicks, they become one of the most natural-feeling parts of French. italki has 30,000+ expert tutors and is trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide. French language tutor to get personalized help with conjugation, agreement, and the verbs that give you the most trouble.

FAQ

Why do all reflexive verbs use être in the passé composé?

Reflexive verbs were historically classified as intransitive verbs of motion or state, the same grammatical group that uses être. The reflexive pronoun was seen as redirecting the action back to the subject, which linguistically aligned with the être group. Today this is simply a rule to memorize: all reflexive verbs, without exception, take être in compound tenses.

How can I tell if a verb is reflexive in a French dictionary?

Reflexive verbs are listed in French dictionaries with the prefix se (or s’) before the infinitive: se lever, s’habiller. The entry may appear under the base verb with a reflexive section, or as a separate headword. The abbreviation v. pron. (verbe pronominal) indicates a reflexive or pronominal verb.

Are there reflexive verbs that native speakers avoid in conversation?

Some reflexive verbs sound very formal or literary in spoken French. S’enquérir (to inquire) and se plaindre (to complain) are both standard, but native speakers often prefer more casual constructions in everyday speech. Watching French films and listening to podcasts gives you a sense of which reflexive verbs are common in natural conversation vs. formal writing.