Les Pronoms des Verbes Pronominaux

Understanding Pronominal Verbs

Pronominal verbs use a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject. These pronouns are:

Pronoun	Example
me/m’	Je me lave / Je m’habille (I wash myself / I get dressed)
te/t’	Tu te brosses / Tu t’habilles (You brush yourself / You get dressed)
se/s’	Il se prépare / Elle s’habille (He gets ready / She gets dressed)
nous	Nous nous levons (We get up)
vous	Vous vous habillez (You get dressed)
se/s’	Ils se réveillent / Elles s’amusent (They wake up / They have fun)

Important rules:

1. Before a vowel or silent “h” → elision (me → m’, te → t’, se → s’)
2. In the affirmative imperative → hyphen and inversion
3. In the negative imperative → no hyphen

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Exercises

1. Choose the correct reflexive pronoun:

“Je ___ (me/m’)appelle Pierre.” →

“Vous ___ (vous/te) brossez les dents ?” →

“Ils ___ (se/s’)habillent rapidement.” →

2. Put in the imperative:

“(Se lever) → ___ ! (tu)” →

“(S’habiller) → ___ vite ! (nous)” →

“(Ne pas se coucher) → ___ tard ! (vous)” →

3. Correct the errors:

“Tu te habilles.” →

“Lave toi les mains.” →

“Ne nous asseyons pas.” →
(Correct!)

4. Translate into French:

“Wake up! (tu)” →

“They are getting ready.” →

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Notes:

• In the imperative:
  • Positive: verb + hyphen + pronoun (Lève-toi)
  • Negative: pronoun before verb (Ne te lève pas)
• Mandatory elision before vowel/silent h:
  “Je m’habille” (not “Je me habille”)

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