Tuesday, November 5, 2019
French Pronominal Verbs Require a Reflexive Pronoun
French Pronominal Verbs Require a Reflexive Pronoun French pronominal verbs are accompanied by the reflexive pronoun se or s preceding the infinitive, thus, the grammatical term pronominal, which means relating to a pronoun. All conjugated verbs, with the exception of the imperative form, require a subject pronoun. Pronominal verbs also need a reflexive pronoun, like this: Nous nous habillons. Were getting dressed (dressing ourselves).Tu te baignes.  Youre taking a bath (bathing yourself). There are a few kinds of French pronominal verbs. But in general, we can say the action and, thus construction, of the pronominal verb is reflexive, reciprocal or idiomatic.  Three Types of Pronominal Verbs Reflexive verbsReciprocal verbsIdiomatic pronominal verbs There are two steps in conjugating pronominal verbs. First, take the reflexive pronoun se, make it agree with the subject of the verb, and place it directly in front of the verb. Then, as with all verbs, conjugate the infinitive according to whether its a regular -er, -ir, -re verb or an irregular verb.    Elle se brosse les dents.  Shes brushing her teeth.Vous vous levez tard.  You get up late. Review what pronominal verbs look like when conjugated in all the simple tenses and use examples to practice recognizing and using them. French Reflexive Verbs The most common pronominal verbs are reflexive verbs (verbes sens rà ©flà ©chi), which indicate that the subject of the verb is performing the action upon himself, herself, or itself. Reflexive verbs mainly have to do with parts of the body, clothing, personal circumstance or location. Note that when referring to parts of the body, the French possessive pronoun is rarely used; instead, the owner is indicated with a reflexive pronoun and a definite article precedes the body part. Some common reflexive verbs:    sadresser   to address, speak to   sapprocher de  to approach   sasseoir  to sit down   se baigner  to bathe, swim   se brosser (les cheveux, les dents)  to brush (ones hair, ones teeth)   se casser (la jambe, le bras)  to break (ones leg, ones arm)   se coiffer  to fix ones hair   se coucher  to go to bed   se couper   to cut oneself   se dà ©pà ªcher   to hurry   se dà ©shabiller  to get undressed   se doucher  to take a shower   sà ©nerver  to get annoyed   senrhumer  to catch a cold   se fà ¢cher  to get angry   se fatigue  to get tired   se fier  to trust   shabiller  to get dressed   shabituer   to get used to   simaginer  to imagine   sintà ©resser    to be interested in   se laver (les mains, la figure)  to wash (ones hands, ones face)   se lever  to get up   se maquiller  to put on makeup   se marier (avec)  to get married (to)   se mà ©fier de  to mistrust, distrust, beware of/about   se moquer de  to make fun of (someone else)   se moucher  to blow ones nose    se noyer  to drown   se peigner  to comb ones hair   se promener  to take a walk   se raser  to shave   se refroidir  to cool down, get cold   se regarder  to look at oneself   se reposer  to rest   se rà ©veiller  to wake up   se soà »ler  to get drunk   se souvenir de  to remember   se taire  to be quiet Examples: Tu te reposes.  Youre resting.Il se là ¨ve 8h00.  He gets up at 8:00. Reflexive Verbs With a Nonreflexive Use Note that many reflexive verbs also have a nonreflexive use; that is, they can describe someone performing the action of the verb on someone or something else:    Elle se promà ¨ne.  Shes taking a walk.vs.Elle promà ¨ne le chien.  Shes taking the dog for a walk; Shes walking the dog.Je me lave les mains.  Im washing my hands.vs.Je lave le bà ©bà ©.  Im washing the baby. Note that some verbs that are normally not pronominal may be used with a reflexive pronoun in order to avoid the passive voice. This construction is known as the passive reflexive. Reflexive verbs are the most common type of pronominal verb. But there are also two lesser-known types: reciprocal verbs and idiomatic pronominal verbs. French Reciprocal Verbs While reflexive verbs tell you that one or more subjects are acting upon themselves, reciprocal verbs (verbes sens rà ©ciproque) indicate that there are two or more subjects acting on one another. Here are the most common French reciprocal verbs:   sadorer to adore (one another)   saimer  to love   sapercevoir  to see   se comprendre  to understand   se connaà ®tre  to know   se dà ©tester  to hate   se dire  to tell   se disputer  to argue   sà ©crire  to write to   sembrasser  to kiss   se parler  to talk to   se promettre  to promise   se quitter  to leave   se regarder  to look at   se rencontrer  to meet   se sourire  to smile at   se tà ©là ©phoner  to call   se voir  to see Reciprocal verbs can also be used without the pronoun for a nonreciprocal meaning:    Nous nous comprenons.  We understand each other.vs.Nous comprenons la question.  We understand the question.    Ils saiment.  They love each other.vs.Ils maiment.  They love me. French Idiomatic Pronominal Verbs Idiomatic pronominal verbs (verbes sens idiomatique) are verbs that take on a different meaning when used with a reflexive pronoun. Here are the most common French idiomatic pronominal verbs (and their non-pronominal meanings):   sen aller  to go away   (to go)   samuser  to have a good time (to amuse)   sappeler  to be named (to call)   sapproprier  to appropriate (to suit, adapt to)   sarrà ªter  to stop (oneself) (to stop [s.o. or s.t. else])   sattendre ()  to expect (to wait for)   se demander  to wonder (to ask)   se dà ©brouiller  to manage, get by (to disentangle)   se dà ©pà ªcher  to hurry (to send quickly)   se diriger vers  to head toward (to run, be in charge of)   se douter  to suspect (to doubt)   sà ©clipser  to slip away/out (to eclipse, overshadow)   sà ©loigner  to move (oneself, s.t.) away   sendormir  to fall asleep (to put to sleep)   sennuyer  to be bored (to bother)   sentendre  to get along (to hear)   se fà ¢cher  to get angry (to make angry)   se figurer  to imagine, picture (to represent, to appear)   shabituer   to get used to (to get in the habit of)   sinquià ©ter  to worry (to alarm)   sinstaller  to settle in (to a home) (to install)   se mettre  to begin to (to place, put)    se perdre  to get lost (to lose)   se plaindre  to complain (to pity, begrudge)   se refuser de  to deny oneself (the opportunity)o   (to refuse)   se rendre   to go to (to return)   se rendre compte de  to realize (to account for)   se rà ©unir  to meet, get together (to gather, collect)   se servir  to use, make use of (to serve)   se tromper  to be mistaken (to deceive)   se trouver  to be located (to find) See how the meaning changes when idiomatic pronominal verbs are used with and without the reflexive pronoun.   Je mappelle Sandrine.  My name is Sandrine.vs.Jappelle Sandrine.  Im calling Sandrine.   Tu te trompes.  You are mistaken.vs.Tu me trompes. You are deceiving me. Word Order with Pronominal Verbs Placement of the reflexive pronoun is exactly the same as for object pronouns and adverbial pronouns:    Je mhabille.  Im getting dressed.Tu te reposeras. You will rest.Il se levait quand...  He was getting up when... The pronoun directly precedes the verb in all tenses and moods, except the affirmative imperative, when it follows the verb, attached by a hyphen: Repose-toi. Rest.Habillons-nous.  Lets get dressed. Pronominal Verbs in the Negative With negation, ne precedes the reflexive pronoun: Je ne mhabille pas.  Im not getting dressed.Tu ne te reposes jamais.  You never rest. Pronominal Verbs in the Interrogative Questions with pronominal verbs are usually asked with est-ce que and the reflexive pronoun once again stays directly in front of the verb. If you use inversion, the reflexive pronoun precedes the inverted subject-verb: Est-ce quil se rase ? Se rase-t-il ?Is he shaving? Est-ce que tu te laves les mins ? Te laves-tu les mains ?Are you washing your hands? Pronominal Verbs in the Negative Interrogative To ask a negative question with pronominal verbs, you sort of have to use inversion. The reflexive pronoun stays directly in front of the inverted subject-verb, and the negative structure surrounds that whole group: Ne se rase-t-il pas ?Isnt he shaving? Ne te laves-tu jamais les mains ?Dont you ever wash your hands? Pronominal Verbs in Compound Tenses In compound tenses like the passà © composà ©, all pronominal verbs are à ªtre verbs, which means two things: The auxiliary verb is à ªtre.The past participle may need to agree with the subject in gender and number. In compound tenses, the reflexive pronoun precedes the auxiliary verb, not the past participle: Elle sest couchà ©e minuit.She went to bed at midnight. Ils sà ©taient vus la banque.They had seen one another at the bank. Aprà ¨s mà ªtre habillà ©, jai allumà © la tà ©là ©.After getting dressed, I turned on the TV. Agreement with Pronominal Verbs When pronominal verbs are in the compound tenses, the past participle has to agree with the reflexive pronoun when the pronoun is a direct object but not when its an indirect object. So the trick is to figure out whether the reflexive pronoun is direct or indirect. 1. For most pronominal verbs that are not followed by a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the direct object, so the past participle needs to agree with it. See number five below for instances when the reflexive pronoun is an indirect pronoun. Nous nous sommes douchà ©s.We showered. \Marianne sest fà ¢chà ©e.Marianne got mad. 2. Likewise, with a pronominal verb plus a preposition plus a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the direct object, so you need agreement. Elle sest occupà ©e du chien.She took care of the dog. Ils se sont souvenus de la pià ¨ce.They remembered the play. 3. When a pronominal verb is followed directly by a noun with no preposition in between, the reflexive pronoun is indirect, therefore there is no agreement. Nous nous sommes achetà © une voiture.NOT Nous nous sommes achetà ©s une voiture.We bought ourselves a car. Elle sest dit la và ©rità ©.NOT Elle sest dite la và ©rità ©.She told herself the truth. 4. When you have a sentence with a reflexive pronoun plus an object pronoun, the reflexive pronoun is always the indirect object, so there is no agreement with it. However, there is agreement with the object pronoun, per the rules of direct object pronoun agreement. Nous nous le sommes achetà ©. (Le livre is masculine.)We bought it (the book) for ourselves. Nous nous la sommes achetà ©e. (La voiture is feminine.)We bought it (the car) for ourselves. Elle se lest dit. (Le mensonge is masculine.)She told it (the lie) to herself. Elle se lest dite. (La và ©rità ©Ã‚ is feminine.)She told it (the truth) to herself. 5. For the following verbs, the reflexive pronoun is always an indirect object, so the past participle does not agree with it. In the abbreviations below, e.o. means each other and o.s. means oneself.    sacheter to buy (for) o.s.   se demander  to wonder   se dire  to say (to o.s./e.o.)   se donner  to give (to e.o.)   sà ©crire  to write (to e.o.)   se faire mal to hurt o.s.   simaginer  to imagine, think   se parler  to talk (to o.s./e.o.)   se plaire ( faire...) to enjoy (doing...)   se procurer  to obtain (for o.s.)   se promettre  to promise (o.s./e.o.)   se raconter  to tell (e.o.)   se rendre compte de  to realize   se rendre visite  to visit (e.o.)   se reprocher  to criticize, blame (o.s./e.o.)   se ressembler  to resemble (e.o.)   se rire (de qqun)  to mock (someone)   se sourire  to smile (at e.o.)   se tà ©là ©phoner  to call (e.o.) Nous nous sommes souri.NOT Nous nous sommes souris.We smiled at each other. Elles se sont parlà ©.NOT Elles se sont parlà ©es.They talked to each other. Pronominal Verbs in the Infinitive or Present Participle When using pronominal verbs in the infinitive or present participle, there are two things to keep in mind: The reflexive pronoun directly precedes the infinitive or present participle.The reflexive pronoun agrees with its implied subject. Pronominal Verbs in Dual-Verb Constructions Dual-verb constructions are those where you have a verb like aller (to go) or vouloir (to want) followed by an infinitive. When using a pronominal verb in this construction, its important to remember that the reflexive pronoun goes directly in front of the infinitive, not the conjugated verb, and that the reflexive pronoun has to agree with the subject. Je vais mhabiller.Im going to get dressed. Nous voulons nous promener.We want to go for a walk. Tu devrais te laver les cheveux.You should wash your hair. Pronominal Verbs after Prepositions When you use pronominal verbs in the infinitive after prepositions, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb. Avant de te coucher, range ta chambre.Before you go to bed, clean your room. Il faut trouver un juge pour nous marier.We have to find a judge to get married. Pronominal Verbs Used as Subjects To use pronominal verbs in the infinitive as subjects at the beginning of a sentence, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb: Me lever tà ´t est une rà ¨gle de ma vie.Getting up early is a rule for me. Te moquer de ton frà ¨re nest pas gentil.Making fun of your brother isnt nice. Pronominal Verbs as Present Participles Once again, the reflexive pronoun always has to agree with the subject, including when pronominal verbs are used as present participles: En me levant, jai entendu un cri.While getting up, I heard a scream. Cà ©tait en vous inquià ©tant que vous avez attrapà © un ulcà ¨re.It was by worrying that you got an ulcer.
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