French grammar: les verbes pronominaux au présent et au passé composé

What this grammar point covers

Pronominal verbs in French are verbs that are used with a reflexive pronoun (like 'se') and show that the subject is doing the action to themselves. They are common in daily life and are used in the present tense and also in the passé composé (past tense).

When to use it

Use pronominal verbs when the subject does the action to themselves (like washing oneself, getting up, etc.), or for some verbs that are always pronominal in French. In the passé composé, always use 'être' as the auxiliary.

Key forms

• Présent: sujet + se + verbe (conjugué)
• Exemple: Je me lève.
• Passé composé: sujet + se + être (conjugué) + participe passé
• Exemple: Elle s’est réveillée.

Examples

Tips

• Don’t forget to use the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) before the verb.
• In passé composé, pronominal verbs always use 'être' as the auxiliary, not 'avoir'.
• Make the past participle agree with the subject in gender and number (except when there is a direct object after the verb).

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some pronominal verbs do not show a real reflexive action (for example, 'se souvenir' means 'to remember').
• Agreement of the past participle is not made if there is a direct object after the verb.