Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers French reflexive pronouns like "me", "te", and "se", used with verbs such as "se réveiller" (to wake up) and "s'habiller" (to get dressed), showing how to form and use pronominal verbs in everyday actions.
  1. You must place the personal pronoun first, then the reflexive pronoun, and finally the pronominal verb: "Je me lève", "Tu te lèves".
  2. In the infinitive, the pronoun "se" is used.
Singulier (Singular)Pluriel (Plural)
Je me réveille (I wake up)Nous nous réveillons (We ourselves wake up)
Tu te réveilles (You wake up)Vous vous réveillez (You wake up)
Il se réveille (He gets up)Ils se réveillent (They wake up)

Exceptions!

  1. "Me", "te" and "se" are elided as "m'", "t'" and "s'" before verbs starting with a vowel or a mute h.

Exercise 1: Les pronoms réflexifs

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

te, se, nous, vous, me

1.
Le week-end je ... réveille tard.
(At the weekend I wake up late.)
2.
Nous ... couchons tôt ces derniers jours.
(We have been going to bed early these last few days.)
3.
Tu ... laves à l'eau chaude ou froide ?
(Do you wash yourself with hot or cold water?)
4.
Il ... lave les mains avant et après les repas.
(He washes his hands before and after meals.)
5.
Vous ... réveillez à quelle heure ?
(What time do you wake up?)
6.
Tu ... couches après la douche.
(You lie down after the shower.)
7.
Nous ... lavons avant de dormir.
(We wash ourselves before going to sleep.)
8.
Ils ... couchent sans dire bonne nuit à leurs parents.
(They go to bed without saying good night to their parents.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Je ___ toujours à 7 heures.

(I ___ always at 7 o'clock.)

2. Tu ___ souvent le matin.

(You ___ often in the morning.)

3. Nous ___ avant de partir.

(We ___ before leaving.)

4. Vous ___ rarement le week-end.

(You ___ rarely on weekends.)

5. Il ___ à 22 heures tous les soirs.

(He ___ at 10 pm every night.)

6. Ils ___ les mains avant de dîner.

(They ___ their hands before dinner.)

Understanding French Reflexive Pronouns

This lesson focuses on French reflexive pronouns, essential for constructing reflexive verbs. Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject both performs and receives the action. Learning these pronouns enables you to describe daily routines and actions related to oneself.

Reflexive Pronouns Overview

Reflexive pronouns in French agree with the subject in number and person. Below are the forms used with singular and plural subjects:

SingularPlural
Je me réveilleNous nous réveillons
Tu te réveillesVous vous réveillez
Il/Elle se réveilleIls/Elles se réveillent

Sentence Structure with Reflexive Pronouns

In reflexive constructions, the order is: subject + reflexive pronoun + pronominal verb. For example:

  • Je me lève (I get up)
  • Tu te lèves (You get up)

When using the infinitive form, the reflexive pronoun is se.

Elision in Reflexive Pronouns

Before verbs starting with a vowel or a mute h, the pronouns me, te, se undergo elision and become m', t', s'. For example, Je m'habille instead of Je me habille.

Important Language Notes

Unlike English, which does not use reflexive pronouns to the same extent in daily expressions, French uses them systematically with reflexive verbs to show that the subject is performing the action on itself. This is crucial for verbs describing personal care, routine actions, and feelings.

Useful English equivalents related to reflexive pronouns include phrases like "I wash myself" versus simply "I wash"; in French, the reflexive pronoun is mandatory if the subject acts on itself.

Key Phrases and Words from the Lesson

  • Je me réveille – I wake up
  • Tu te douches – You take a shower
  • Nous nous habillons – We get dressed
  • Vous vous coiffez – You style your hair
  • Il se couche – He goes to bed
  • Ils se lavent – They wash themselves

Understanding reflexive pronouns will improve your ability to express everyday actions clearly and accurately in French.

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Alessia Calcagni

Languages for communication in international enterprises and organizations

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 05:17