Purpose

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly conjugate a reflexive verb, applying the same genuine test used in the earlier French course for this concept.

Lesson Explanation

A reflexive verb is used when the subject performs an action on/for itself, marked with a reflexive pronoun:

sich waschen (to wash oneself):
ich wasche mich, du wäschst dich, er/sie wäscht sich,
wir waschen uns, ihr wascht euch, sie waschen sich

The genuinely useful test for whether a verb usage is reflexive: are the subject and the object of the action the same entity? Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself) is reflexive. Ich wasche das Auto. (I wash the car) is not reflexive, since “I” and “the car” are different entities.

A genuinely important, specific detail: unlike French reflexive verbs (which use sein/être as their Perfekt auxiliary), German reflexive verbs actually use haben in the Perfekt: Ich habe mich gewaschen. (I washed myself.) — a real, specific difference worth noting between the two languages.

Practice Questions