3.5.1 Reflexive verbs

Introduction

Reflexive verbs are very frequent in German and appear in many everyday expressions, especially when you talk about daily routines, feelings, health, and relationships. In this chapter you learn how reflexive verbs work, how to choose between accusative and dative reflexive pronouns, and how to recognize and use common reflexive verbs correctly.

What “reflexive” means

A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object refer to the same person. In English you see this with “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” “herself,” “ourselves,” and “themselves.”

Compare:

“I wash the child.”
“I wash myself.”

In German, the reflexive idea is expressed with a reflexive pronoun. The pronoun is a separate word and must agree with the subject in person and number.

Reflexive pronouns in the accusative

Most reflexive verbs use the accusative case. Here are the accusative reflexive pronouns:

Example with the verb “sich freuen” (to be glad, to look forward):

Ich freue mich.
Du freust dich.
Er freut sich.
Wir freuen uns.
Ihr freut euch.
Sie freuen sich.

Reflexive verbs in everyday life

Many common daily actions in German are reflexive. Some of them are optional in English, or they appear without “myself” or “yourself.” For example:

Ich dusche mich.
“I take a shower.” or “I shower.”

Ich setze mich.
“I sit down.”

Ich entspanne mich.
“I relax.”

Try to learn reflexive verbs as a fixed combination of verb plus “sich,” for example:

sich waschen
sich anziehen
sich ausziehen
sich setzen
sich entspannen
sich beeilen

When you conjugate, only the verb changes. The “sich” changes to the correct reflexive pronoun.

Example with “sich beeilen” (to hurry):

Ich beeile mich.
Du beeilst dich.
Er beeilt sich.
Wir beeilen uns.
Ihr beeilt euch.
Sie beeilen sich.

Word order with reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs follow the normal word order of main clauses. The reflexive pronoun stays close to the verb.

Subject – conjugated verb – reflexive pronoun – rest of the sentence.

Ich wasche mich jeden Morgen.
Wir treffen uns um acht Uhr.
Trefft ihr euch heute Abend?

In yes/no questions and with inversion, the position of the reflexive pronoun follows the finite verb directly.

Waschst du dich jeden Tag?
Morgens wasche ich mich zuerst.
Heute Abend treffen wir uns im Restaurant.

Meaning changes with and without reflexive pronoun

Some verbs exist both with and without a reflexive pronoun. The presence or absence of the reflexive pronoun often changes the meaning.

Compare:

setzen vs. sich setzen
legen vs. sich legen
vorstellen vs. sich vorstellen

Examples:

Ich setze das Kind auf den Stuhl.
“I place the child on the chair.”

Ich setze mich auf den Stuhl.
“I sit down on the chair.”

Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.
“I lay the book on the table.”

Ich lege mich auf das Sofa.
“I lie down on the sofa.”

Ich stelle mich vor.
“I introduce myself.”

Ich stelle ihn vor.
“I introduce him.”

Accusative vs dative reflexive pronouns

There are two types of reflexive pronouns in German, accusative and dative. Many reflexive verbs take the accusative, but some can take the dative, especially when there is another object in the sentence.

Here is the table for both cases:

If the verb has no other object, the reflexive pronoun is usually accusative:

Ich erhole mich.
Du erinnerst dich.
Sie entschuldigt sich.

If there is another object in the accusative, the reflexive pronoun changes to the dative:

Ich wasche mir die Hände.
Du kämmst dir die Haare.
Er putzt sich die Zähne.

In these examples:

“die Hände,” “die Haare,” and “die Zähne” are in the accusative, so the reflexive pronoun must be dative.

Body and clothing with reflexive verbs

German often uses a dative reflexive pronoun together with a part of the body or an item of clothing. In English, you would usually say “my hands,” “your hair,” “his teeth.” In German, you do not use a possessive adjective here, you use a reflexive pronoun and a definite article.

Ich wasche mir die Hände.
“Literally: I wash myself the hands.”
“I wash my hands.”

Sie kämmt sich die Haare.
“She brushes her hair.”

Wir ziehen uns die Jacken an.
“We put on our jackets.”

Du ziehst dir die Schuhe aus.
“You take off your shoes.”

Ich rasiere mir den Bart.
“I shave my beard.”

Reflexive verbs and feelings

To talk about feelings and emotional states, German often uses reflexive verbs. Many of these verbs are followed by a preposition and an object. You will often see them in contexts of relationships, stress, and personal life.

Common examples:

sich freuen
sich freuen auf + Akkusativ
sich freuen über + Akkusativ
sich ärgern über + Akkusativ
sich schämen für + Akkusativ
sich interessieren für + Akkusativ
sich verlieben in + Akkusativ

Examples in sentences:

Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.
“I am looking forward to the weekend.”

Sie freut sich über das Geschenk.
“She is happy about the present.”

Er ärgert sich über den Lärm.
“He is annoyed about the noise.”

Wir schämen uns für unser Verhalten.
“We are ashamed of our behavior.”

Interessierst du dich für Kunst?
“Are you interested in art?”

Sie hat sich in ihn verliebt.
“She fell in love with him.”

Reflexive verbs and mutual actions

Sometimes German uses reflexive pronouns to express mutual or reciprocal actions, usually with plural subjects. In English you would say “each other” or “one another.”

Common verbs with this reciprocal meaning:

sich treffen
sich kennen
sich lieben
sich helfen
sich streiten
sich vertragen

Examples:

Wir treffen uns jeden Freitag.
“We meet every Friday” (each other).

Sie kennen sich seit der Schule.
“They have known each other since school.”

Die Kinder streiten sich oft.
“The children quarrel a lot.”

Wir vertragen uns wieder.
“We get along again.”

The meaning is usually clear from context. You do not add “einander” or “gegenseitig” unless you want to make the idea explicit or emphatic.

Reflexive verbs with infinitive constructions

At B1 level you often see reflexive verbs in infinitive clauses. In such clauses, the reflexive pronoun usually stays with the finite verb in the main clause, not with the infinitive.

Example:

Ich versuche, mich zu entspannen.
“I try to relax.”

Wir hoffen, uns bald wiederzusehen.
“We hope to see each other again soon.”

Sie plant, sich ein neues Auto zu kaufen.
“She plans to buy herself a new car.”

When “zu” is used with a separable verb plus reflexive pronoun, “zu” goes between the prefix and the verb, not before the pronoun.

Ich habe keine Zeit, mich anzuziehen.
“I have no time to get dressed.”

Er hat vergessen, sich abzumelden.
“He forgot to sign off / to log out.”

Reflexive verbs and modal verbs

With modal verbs, the reflexive pronoun stands immediately after the conjugated modal verb and before the infinitive.

Ich will mich entspannen.
“I want to relax.”

Du musst dich beeilen.
“You must hurry.”

Wir können uns nicht erinnern.
“We cannot remember.”

Sie möchte sich vorstellen.
“She would like to introduce herself.”

In a sentence with separable and reflexive verbs plus a modal verb, the reflexive pronoun still stays near the conjugated modal verb.

Ich will mich heute Abend ausruhen.
“I want to rest this evening.”

Ihr sollt euch um acht Uhr anziehen.
“You should get dressed at eight o’clock.”

Common errors with reflexive verbs

Learners often make the same types of mistakes with reflexive verbs. At B1 level it is important to avoid these typical problems.

Wrong choice of case:

Ich wasche mich die Hände.
This is incorrect.

Correct form:

Ich wasche mir die Hände.

Omission of the reflexive pronoun:

Ich freue auf das Wochenende.
This is incorrect.

Correct form:

Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.

Wrong position:

Ich wasche jeden Morgen mich.
This sounds unnatural in neutral word order.

Better:

Ich wasche mich jeden Morgen.

Wrong preposition:

Ich interessiere mich an Musik.
This is incorrect.

Correct form:

Ich interessiere mich für Musik.

Overview of useful reflexive verbs (B1 focus)

Here is a selection of reflexive verbs that are especially useful when you talk about feelings and relationships.

Vocabulary list for this chapter