Purpose

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to conjugate reflexive verbs correctly and distinguish genuinely reflexive from non-reflexive uses of the same verb.

Lesson Explanation

Italian reflexive verbs use a reflexive pronoun attached to the infinitive (-si) that matches the subject, going before the conjugated verb: lavarsi → mi lavo, ti lavi, si lava, ci laviamo, vi lavate, si lavano.

Many daily-routine verbs are reflexive: alzarsi (to get up), svegliarsi (to wake up), vestirsi (to get dressed), addormentarsi (to fall asleep).

Many verbs are genuinely reflexive only in certain meanings, similar to the pattern already seen for Spanish: chiamare (to call someone) versus chiamarsi (to be named): Mi chiamo Marco. (My name is Marco — reflexive) versus Chiamo Marco. (I call/phone Marco — non-reflexive, acting on someone else).

A genuinely important, distinctive detail with no Spanish equivalent: reflexive verbs ALWAYS use essere, never avere, as their auxiliary in the passato prossimo (Part 3, Lessons 3-4) — and the past participle must then agree in gender/number with the subject, exactly like the essere-group verbs covered in Part 3, Lesson 4: Mi sono lavato. (I washed myself — masculine speaker) versus Mi sono lavata. (feminine speaker.) With an infinitive, the reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject, not stay fixed as “si”: Vado a lavarmi. (I’m going to wash myself.)

Practice Questions