Pronominal verbs French: types and agreement

Pronominal verbs French learners need, such as se laver [4], carry a pronoun of the same person as the subject. This page explains the name, the pronouns, the types, why the passé composé uses être, and when the past participle agrees. For the passé composé itself, read The passé composé. For all the small pronouns, see French pronouns. For washing your hands and brushing your hair, Body parts in French has the article rule.

What are pronominal verbs in French?

Pronominal verbs in French are verbs where a pronoun of the same person as the subject sits between the subject and the verb [1]. The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) calls this pronoun the pronom réfléchi, and it points to the same being as the subject [1]. Learners are told to keep it apart from other object pronouns, which do not refer back to the subject [1].

The OQLF’s own example of a verb you meet this way: Ma grand-mère se méfie des chats [2]. Say it aloud: se méfier.

Are reflexive verbs in French the same thing?

Not quite: the OQLF says verbes pronominaux for the group and uses “réfléchi” for the pronoun [1]. A reflexive verb in the narrow sense is only one type of pronominal verb: one where the subject acts on itself [4]. The types below show the difference.

The OQLF notes that current grammar speaks simply of pronominal verbs, not of a separate “pronominal voice” as older grammars did [1].

Which pronouns do French pronominal verbs use?

French pronominal verbs use me, te, se, nous and vous as the reflexive pronoun [6]. The pronoun refers to the same person or thing as the subject [6].

When several pronominal verbs share one subject in a simple tense, the OQLF says the reflexive pronoun must be repeated before each verb [6]. In a compound tense, you may leave it out if the auxiliary is not repeated [6].

What types of pronominal verb are there?

The OQLF sorts pronominal verbs by whether the verb also exists without the pronoun. There are two groups.

• Essentially pronominal. The verb can only be used in pronominal form. The pronoun stands for nothing in the sentence, so it is neither a direct nor an indirect object [2]. Examples: se méfier , s’enfuir , s’évanouir [2].
• Occasionally pronominal. The verb can also be used in an active or passive form [3]. Two meanings sit here: reflexive, where the subject acts on itself (Je me lave), and reciprocal, where several subjects act on each other (Elles s’appellent toutes les semaines) [4][5].

More verbs of daily life have a recording here: se coucher, s’asseoir, se dépêcher, s’amuser, se reposer, se disputer and se marier.

Which auxiliary does a pronominal verb take in the passé composé?

A pronominal verb in a compound tense is always built with être [1]. Never avoir. The OQLF’s own pattern in the passé composé: Elle s’est lavée [3]. For the full list of être verbs, see The passé composé, and for être itself, Être conjugation. For the endings of regular verbs, How to conjugate French verbs.

When does the past participle agree?

Start with the type of verb.

Essentially pronominal verb: always agree with the subject. The OQLF gives Marie s’est absentée plus d’un mois and Ils se sont souciés du bonheur des autres [2].

Occasionally pronominal verb: agree with the direct object, if it comes before the verb. This is the same rule as with avoir [3]. To find the direct object, swap être for avoir and ask “verb + who?” or “verb + what?” [3]. Three cases follow.

1. The pronoun is the direct object. The participle agrees with it, so with the subject: Elle s’est lavée (she washed herself) [3].
2. Another direct object comes after the verb. The participle stays invariable: Elle s’est lavé les mains [3].
3. Another direct object comes before the verb. The participle agrees with it: J’ai conservé les longues lettres que nous nous sommes écrites [3].

If there is no direct object, the pronoun is an indirect object and the participle stays invariable: Elles se sont parlé [3].

Common mistakes

• Using avoir. A pronominal verb in a compound tense always takes être [1].
• Treating every pronominal verb as reflexive. S’évanouir and se méfier do not mean “to act on yourself”; the pronoun has no function [2].
• Agreeing the participle with a body part that follows. Elle s’est lavé les mains, not lavée, because the object follows the verb [3].
• Agreeing a verb like parler with the subject without checking. Elles se sont parlé stays invariable because you speak to someone [3].
• Trusting a grammar page, including this one, without checking its date. The OQLF pages carry no date we could see, so check the official page’s date against ours before relying on a rule.

Sources