Bonjour mes amis! 👋
Today, we’re diving into one of those super-French grammar points that make you go:
“Wait… why is there a me, te, se everywhere?!” 😅

Don’t worry — by the end of this lesson, you’ll love reflexive pronouns as much as I do. And I’ll even share a song trick 🎶 to help you remember them!

WATCH FULL LESSON HERE : OPEN ME

🪞 What Are Reflexive Pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object are the same person — when you’re doing something to yourself.

➡️ For example:

• Je me lève. → I get up (myself).

• Tu te laves. → You wash yourself.

• Il se réveille. → He wakes up.

See that me, te, se? That’s what we call reflexive pronouns.
They always go hand-in-hand with pronominal verbs — verbs that start with se in the dictionary form, like:

• se lever (to get up)

• s’habiller (to get dressed)

• se réveiller (to wake up)

So if a verb starts with se, your reflexive pronoun is coming to the party too! 🎉

💫 Reflexive Pronouns Table

👉 The short forms (m’, t’, s’) appear when the next word starts with a vowel or a silent h.
Example: Je m’appelle Célestine (My name is Célestine).

🎭 3 Types of Pronominal Verbs

Not all verbs with se mean the same thing! Let’s break them down.

1️⃣ Reflexive verbs

Used when you do the action to yourself:

• Je me brosse les cheveux. → I brush my hair.

• Elle se regarde dans le miroir. → She looks at herself in the mirror.

2️⃣ Reciprocal verbs

Used when two or more people do the action to each other:

• Nous nous aimons. → We love each other.

• Ils se parlent. → They talk to each other.

3️⃣ Idiomatic verbs

They use “se,” but the meaning isn’t literal — it’s just the French way of saying it!

• S’amuser → to have fun

• Se souvenir de → to remember

• Se dépêcher → to hurry up

• Se taire → to be quiet

🎶 Mini trick song (to the tune of “Frère Jacques”):

Je me lève, tu te lèves,
Il se lève, tout le monde se lève !
Nous nous levons, vous vous levez,
Ils se lèvent — olé !

(Silly but memorable — I use it with students all the time 😉)

🧩 Word Order & Examples

Normally, the reflexive pronoun goes before the verb:

• Je me couche à 22h. → I go to bed at 10 p.m.

• Nous nous réveillons tôt. → We wake up early.

But with two verbs together (like in the near future), it attaches to the infinitive:

• Je vais me coucher. → I’m going to go to bed.

• Elle veut se lever tôt. → She wants to wake up early.

🚫 Negative Sentences

In the negative form:
ne comes before the reflexive pronoun, and pas after the verb.

• Je ne me lève pas tard. → I don’t get up late.

• Tu ne te souviens pas de moi ? → Don’t you remember me?

🗣️ Imperative (Commands)

This is where French likes to be spicy! 🌶️

When you give a command:

• The reflexive pronoun comes after the verb and is joined with a hyphen (-).

✅ Affirmative:

• Lève-toi ! → Get up!

• Habillez-vous ! → Get dressed!

• Amusons-nous ! → Let’s have fun!

❌ Negative:
It moves back in front of the verb:

• Ne te lève pas ! → Don’t get up!

• Ne vous inquiétez pas ! → Don’t worry!

💡 Trick: me and te change to moi and toi in the affirmative commands.

🕰️ Reflexive Verbs in the Past (Passé composé)

When using reflexive verbs in passé composé, they always use être as the helping verb.

Example:

• Je me suis levé(e). → I got up.

• Nous nous sommes réveillés. → We woke up.

Now, about agreement 👇

✅ If the reflexive pronoun is a direct object, the past participle agrees in gender and number:

• Elle s’est levée. (feminine → add e)

• Ils se sont lavés. (plural → add s)

❌ If the direct object comes after the verb, there’s no agreement:

• Nous nous sommes brossé les dents. (no “s” → les dents comes after)

💥 Common Mistake: “Se” vs “Le”

Don’t confuse se (reflexive) with le/la/les (object pronouns).

Example:

• Marie se fait à manger. → Marie makes herself something to eat.

• Marie fait un sandwich. → Marie makes a sandwich.

• Marie le fait. → Marie makes it.

💡 Quick Recap Trick

✨ Think of Reflexive Verbs like a Mirror ✨
Whatever the subject does, it reflects back — me, te, se, nous, vous, se.

🎶 Song to Remember Reflexive Pronouns (Sing it to “Baby Shark”)

Me, te, se, nous, vous, se (doo doo doo doo doo doo)
Me, te, se, nous, vous, se!
Use them with “se” verbs (doo doo doo…)
Use them with “se” verbs!

(You’ll never forget it now 😂)

🧠 Practice Time!

Complete these sentences 👇

1. Je ______ réveille à sept heures.

2. Nous ______ amusons beaucoup.

3. Elle ______ maquille avant de sortir.

4. Vous ______ souvenez de ce film ?

5. Ils ______ disputent souvent.

✅ Answers:

1. me

2. nous

3. se

4. vous

5. se

🗝️ Final Tip

Reflexive verbs might look tricky at first, but remember — they’re part of what makes French sound so natural and expressive!

So keep singing 🎵, keep practicing, and you’ll soon be saying:

Je me débrouille bien en français !
(I’m doing well in French!)

✨ Join my “Zero to Hero in French” Course ✨
If you love learning French in a fun way (songs, stories, and clear grammar explained simply!), join my complete course to go from beginner to fluent step by step.
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À bientôt ! 💕
Célestine – Your French Teacher