Topic 22A1intermediate⏱️ 25 min read

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive Verben

🎯 What You'll Learn

✓Learn what reflexive verbs are (sich waschen, sich freuen)
✓Understand reflexive pronouns (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich)
✓Distinguish between accusative and dative reflexive pronouns
✓Use common reflexive verbs correctly

📖 Introduction

Reflexive verbs are verbs where the action reflects back to the subject. In English we say 'I wash myself', but in German reflexive verbs are much more common. Many daily activities use reflexive verbs!

💡 Explanation

Reflexive verbs use a reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich) that refers back to the subject.

sich waschen (to wash oneself): - ich wasche mich (I wash myself) - du wäschst dich (you wash yourself) - er/sie/es wäscht sich (he/she/it washes himself/herself/itself) - wir waschen uns (we wash ourselves) - ihr wascht euch (you wash yourselves) - sie/Sie waschen sich (they/you wash themselves/yourself)

The reflexive pronoun changes with the subject!

📋 Key Rules

Accusative Reflexive Pronouns

Most reflexive verbs use accusative pronouns

Examples:

• sich waschen: Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself.)
• sich freuen: Er freut sich. (He is happy.)
• sich anziehen: Sie zieht sich an. (She gets dressed.)

Dative Reflexive Pronouns

When there's already an accusative object, reflexive pronoun becomes dative (mir, dir, sich, uns, euch, sich)

Examples:

• Ich wasche mir die Hände. (I wash my hands.) - 'die Hände' is accusative
• Er putzt sich die Zähne. (He brushes his teeth.) - 'die Zähne' is accusative

Common Reflexive Verbs

Many daily routine verbs are reflexive

Examples:

• sich waschen (to wash oneself)
• sich anziehen (to get dressed)
• sich freuen (to be happy, to look forward)
• sich duschen (to shower)
• sich setzen (to sit down)
• sich befinden (to be located)

Pronoun Position

Reflexive pronoun comes after the conjugated verb

Examples:

• Ich freue mich. (I am happy.)
• Freust du dich? (Are you happy?) - still after verb!
• Sie wäscht sich jeden Tag. (She washes herself every day.)

📝 Examples in Context

🇩🇪 Ich dusche mich jeden Morgen.

🇬🇧 I shower every morning.

💡 Reflexive verb with 'sich duschen'

Context: Daily routine

🇩🇪 Wir freuen uns auf den Urlaub.

🇬🇧 We look forward to the vacation.

💡 'sich freuen auf' = to look forward to

Context: Common reflexive verb with preposition

🇩🇪 Er zieht sich schnell an.

🇬🇧 He gets dressed quickly.

💡 Separable reflexive verb

Context: sich anziehen = get dressed

🧠 Memory Tips

💡 Learn reflexive verbs with 'sich'

Always memorize: 'sich waschen', not just 'waschen'. The 'sich' is part of the verb!

💡 Reflexive = action to yourself

If you're doing something to yourself (washing, dressing), it's probably reflexive.

💡 'sich freuen' is always reflexive

You can't just 'freuen' - you must 'sich freuen'. This is one of the most common!

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌

Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

✅

Don't say 'Ich wasche'. Say 'Ich wasche mich' (reflexive pronoun needed!).

❌

Using wrong pronoun

✅

Don't say 'Du wäschst mich' when you mean 'Du wäschst dich' (each person has their own pronoun).

✏️ Practice Sentences

Ich ziehe mich an.

I get dressed.

📚 sich anziehen: ich → mich (accusative reflexive)

Sie freut sich über das Geschenk.

She is happy about the gift.

📚 sich freuen über = to be happy about

📚 Related Vocabulary

sich waschen - to wash oneselfsich duschen - to showersich anziehen - to get dressedsich freuen - to be happysich setzen - to sit downsich befinden - to be located