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French Conjugation

Introduction to Pronominal & Reflexive Verbs

Verbs where the subject acts upon itself, using reflexive pronouns such as me, te, and se.

Level A1 Category Conjugation

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Lesson Summary

Verbs where the subject acts upon itself, using reflexive pronouns such as me, te, and se.

Conjugation

What Are Pronominal Verbs?

Pronominal verbs (also called reflexive verbs) include a reflexive pronoun placed between the subject and the conjugated verb. This pronoun refers back to the subject. The verb s'appeler (to be called), already used in Je m'appelle Thomas, is a pronominal verb. For subject pronouns, see subject pronouns.

Reflexive Pronouns

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun	Example (s'appeler)
je	me / m'	je m'appelle
tu	te / t'	tu t'appelles
il / elle / on	se / s'	il s'appelle
nous	nous	nous nous appelons
vous	vous	vous vous appelez
ils / elles	se / s'	ils s'appellent

Conjugation Rules

Three principles govern pronominal verb conjugation:

1. The reflexive pronoun is placed directly before the conjugated verb.
2. The verb itself follows its standard conjugation pattern (most commonly the regular -er pattern).
3. In negative sentences, ne precedes the reflexive pronoun and pas follows the verb: Je ne m'appelle pas Marie.

Examples with se lever (to get up): Je me lève à sept heures. Tu te lèves tard ? For the conjugation of regular -er verbs, see regular -ER verbs: singular forms and plural forms.

Two Essential Pronominal Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example
s'appeler	to be called / to call oneself	Comment tu t'appelles ?
se lever	to get up	Je me lève à sept heures et demie.

Pronunciation Note

The reflexive pronoun is pronounced rapidly before the verb. In je me lève, the me is very short. In the negative form je ne me lève pas, the ne and me flow together in speech.

Examples

Je m'appelle Léa. Et toi, comment tu t'appelles ?
Self-introduction with the pronominal verb s'appeler.
Le matin, je me lève à six heures.
Morning routine with se lever.
Nous nous levons tôt le lundi.
The first nous is the subject; the second is the reflexive pronoun.

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Introduction to Pronominal & Reflexive VerbsVerbs where the subject acts upon itself, using reflexive pronouns such as me, te, and se.Match reflexive pronouns to their corresponding subject pronouns and conjugate common pronominal verbs in the present tense.ConjugationA1conjugationLearn French ConjugationFrench ConjugationWhat Are Pronominal Verbs?Pronominal verbs (also called reflexive verbs) include a reflexive pronoun placed between the subject and the conjugated verb. This pronoun refers back to the subject. The verb s'appeler (to be called), already used in Je m'appelle Thomas, is a pronominal verb. For subject pronouns, see subject pronouns.