Reflexive verbs and daily routine

Words you hear the same but write differently

French has many short words that sound identical. In listening, context decides. In writing, mistakes here look careless, so learn a quick test for each group.

In careful speech et is closed /e/ (like German See) and est open /ɛ/ (like Bär), but most speakers say both the same way.

Examples

• Il est grand et fort. He is tall and strong.
• Elle a rendez-vous à huit heures. She has an appointment at eight.
• Tu viens lundi ou mardi ? Où ? Are you coming Monday or Tuesday? Where?
• Ses enfants sont à l'école. His children are at school.
• Ces chaussures, ce sont les siennes ? These shoes, are they hers?
• C'est vrai, il s'est levé tard. It's true, he got up late.

Tip: the grave accent on à and où is purely a spelling signal, like the circumflex on dû. It never changes the sound.

The self-pronoun

German speakers have an advantage: French reflexive verbs work like German sich-verbs. Je me lève = Ich stehe auf (literally: I raise myself). Il s'appelle Karim = Er heißt Karim (he calls himself).

The pronoun matches the subject and goes before the verb:

me, te, se become m', t', s' before a vowel or silent h.

The daily-routine set

• se réveiller to wake up: Je me réveille à six heures.
• se lever to get up: Tu te lèves tôt ?
• se laver to wash: Il se lave vite.
• se préparer to get ready: On se prépare.
• se dépêcher to hurry: Dépêchons-nous !
• se reposer to rest: Le dimanche, je me repose.
• se coucher to go to bed: Les enfants se couchent à huit heures.
• se souvenir de to remember: Je me souviens de lui. (sich erinnern an)

Negation, modals, questions

• ne goes before the pronoun: Je ne me lève pas. (Ich stehe nicht auf.)
• With a modal, the pronoun stays with the infinitive and still matches the subject: Je dois me lever tôt. Nous voulons nous reposer.
• Question with inversion: Comment vous appelez-vous ?
• Imperative: pronoun after, te becomes toi: Lève-toi ! Asseyez-vous. But negative: Ne te lève pas.

In the passé composé: always être

All reflexive verbs take être, and the participle usually agrees with the subject:

• Je me suis levé(e) à six heures. I got up at six.
• Elle s'est habillée en dix minutes. She got dressed in ten minutes.
• Nous nous sommes reposés. We rested.
• Ils ne se sont pas souvenus de la date. They didn't remember the date.

Word order: subject + (ne) + pronoun + être + (pas) + participle.

Fine print: if a direct object follows, no agreement: Elle s'est lavé les mains. (She washed her hands.) You will rarely need this when speaking.

Reflexive or not? Meaning changes

Many verbs exist in both forms. The non-reflexive one acts on someone else:

• Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? What's happening?
• L'hôtel se trouve près de la gare. The hotel is near the station.

Reciprocal: each other

In the plural, the pronoun often means each other (German einander, uns): On se voit demain ? See you tomorrow? Ils se parlent tous les jours. They talk to each other every day.

One rule, dozens of adjectives

French -if (masculine) / -ive (feminine) = English -ive = German -iv. The feminine is simply the English spelling: active, positive.

Nouns in -if / -ive

Some words are nouns: l'objectif (goal; camera lens), l'initiative, l'offensive, l'apéritif (pre-dinner drink, Aperitif), le tarif (price, rate: Tarif).

Traps

• compréhensif = understanding, sympathetic, not comprehensive. Comprehensive = complet.
• l'effectif (noun) = workforce, headcount: un effectif de 200 personnes. And effectivement = indeed, that's right, not effectively.
• définitif = final: C'est ma réponse définitive. That's my final answer.
• Spelling: English aggressive has double g, French agressif has one.
• Pronunciation: -if has a clear /f/ (positif /pozitif/), -ive has /v/ (positive /pozitiv/).