Reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs - reflexive Verben - describe something you do to yourself.
Compare these sentences:
- ich wasche das Auto
Question: What am I washing? Answer: The car
- ich wasche mich
Question: What am I washing? Answer: Me
- die Mutter badet das Baby
Question: What is the mother bathing? Answer: The baby
- die Mutter badet sich
Question: What is the mother bathing? Answer: Herself
These are called reflexive verbs because the people doing the action are doing it to themselves.
Reflexive pronouns with reflexive verbs
Reflexive A word which stands in place of a noun, eg he, us, them. are the part of the verb which refers to myself, yourself etc, eg:
ich wasche mich und mein Bruder rasiert sich - I’m washing myself and my brother is shaving himself
Here are some facts to help you understand more about using reflexive pronouns with verbs:
- reflexive verbs follow the usual patterns in the present tense
- reflexive verbs must include the The object of a verb is the person or thing affected by the action of the verb, eg I see you - 'you' is the object. of the action. This is called a reflexive pronoun
- the reflexive pronoun goes immediately after the verb
- the The part of the verb found in the dictionary. It is the basic form of a verb without a subject, and the equivalent of English 'to...' verbs, and usually ends in -en, -n, -ern, -eln in German, eg spielen - to play. of reflexive verbs always include the pronoun sich
Reflexive pronouns using the verbsich duschen
sich duschen is a reflexive verb meaning 'to shower' or 'to have a shower'.
| Subject | Verb | Reflexive pronoun | English |
| ich | dusche | mich | I shower |
| du | duschst | dich | you shower |
| er | duscht | sich | he showers |
| sie | duscht | sich | she showers |
| es | duscht | sich | it showers |
| wir | duschen | uns | we shower |
| ihr | duscht | euch | You shower |
| Sie | duschen | sich | you shower |
| sie | duschen | sich | they shower |
| Subject | ich |
|---|---|
| Verb | dusche |
| Reflexive pronoun | mich |
| English | I shower |
| Subject | du |
|---|---|
| Verb | duschst |
| Reflexive pronoun | dich |
| English | you shower |
| Subject | er |
|---|---|
| Verb | duscht |
| Reflexive pronoun | sich |
| English | he showers |
| Subject | sie |
|---|---|
| Verb | duscht |
| Reflexive pronoun | sich |
| English | she showers |
| Subject | es |
|---|---|
| Verb | duscht |
| Reflexive pronoun | sich |
| English | it showers |
| Subject | wir |
|---|---|
| Verb | duschen |
| Reflexive pronoun | uns |
| English | we shower |
| Subject | ihr |
|---|---|
| Verb | duscht |
| Reflexive pronoun | euch |
| English | You shower |
| Subject | Sie |
|---|---|
| Verb | duschen |
| Reflexive pronoun | sich |
| English | you shower |
| Subject | sie |
|---|---|
| Verb | duschen |
| Reflexive pronoun | sich |
| English | they shower |
Question
Using the infinitives, practise reflexive verbs by writing these sentences in German. Remember to To change the form of an infinitive verb to reflect person, number or tense. the verbs in the usual way and include the right reflexive pronoun.
- I’m interested in music. (sich interessieren für – to be interested in)
- We are looking forward to Saturday. (sich freuen auf - to look forward to)
- The man is shaving. (sich rasieren – to shave, to have a shave)
- She gets annoyed every day. (sich ärgern – to get annoyed)
- Ich interessiere mich für Musik.
- Wir freuen uns auf Samstag.
- Der Mann rasiert sich.
- Sie ärgert sich jeden Tag.
Did you know?
'Trimm dich' has been a hugely popular campaign to improve German fitness, launched by the Deutscher Sportbund, German Sports Federation. Germans are literally 'trimming themselves' – die Deutschen trimmen sich.
Everywhere you will see cycle tracks, paths for running or walking or a Fitnesszentrum – sports centre or leisure centre.
Young people do sport (Sport treiben) outdoors or in a gymnasium (Turnhalle).
Remember that das Gymnasium is a high school or grammar school and not a gym. It has nothing to do with sport.
