A reflexive verb carries an extra pronoun that points back at the subject — I feel myself well, I remember myself the date. In English most of these verbs have shed the reflexive pronoun ("I feel fine", "I remember"), so English speakers routinely drop the pronoun in Dutch, where it is obligatory. This page drills three of the most common reflexive verbs and, just as importantly, the pronoun paradigm — me, je, zich, ons — that you must attach to every one of them.
The reflexive pronoun set
The reflexive pronoun changes with the person. Here is the full set, which is identical for every reflexive verb:
| Subject | Reflexive pronoun | Example (zich voelen) |
|---|---|---|
| ik | me / mij | ik voel me |
| jij / je | je | jij voelt je |
| u | u / zich | u voelt zich |
| hij / zij / het | zich | hij voelt zich |
| wij / we | ons | wij voelen ons |
| jullie | je | jullie voelen je |
| zij / ze (pl.) | zich | zij voelen zich |
Note that zich is only the third-person form (hij, zij, u, ze). Dictionaries list reflexive verbs under zich (zich voelen) because that is the citation form, but you must swap in the right pronoun for the actual subject: ik voel me, wij voelen ons. The strong forms mij and ons are the same words you already know as object pronouns — only the third person has a dedicated reflexive form, zich.
Zich voelen — to feel (a state)
| Infinitive | Present (ik) | Simple past (sg.) | Past participle | Auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| zich voelen | voel me | voelde me | gevoeld | hebben |
Weak verb; stem voel ends in voiced -l, so the past is voelde and the participle gevoeld. Zich voelen describes how you feel — your physical or emotional state — and always keeps its reflexive pronoun. (Without the pronoun, plain voelen means "to feel/touch something": Ik voel de stof = "I feel the fabric".)
Ik voel me vandaag een stuk beter.
I feel a lot better today. 'voel me' — pronoun obligatory.
Hoe voel je je na de operatie?
How do you feel after the operation? Note both 'je's: inverted subject + reflexive pronoun.
Na het slechte nieuws voelde hij zich verloren.
After the bad news he felt lost. Past 'voelde zich'.
Zich herinneren — to remember (an -eren verb)
| Infinitive | Present (ik) | Simple past (sg.) | Past participle | Auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| zich herinneren | herinner me | herinnerde me | herinnerd | hebben |
This one stacks two features. It is reflexive (zich) and it begins with the inseparable prefix her-, so the participle takes no ge-: herinnerd, not geherinnerd. The stem is herinner (ending in voiced -r), so the past is the regular herinnerde. English "remember" takes no pronoun, which makes this verb a magnet for the dropped-pronoun error.
Ik herinner me die zomer nog heel goed.
I still remember that summer very well. 'herinner me'.
Herinner je je nog hoe we elkaar ontmoet hebben?
Do you still remember how we met? Inverted 'je' + reflexive 'je'.
Ze heeft zich zijn naam pas later herinnerd.
She only remembered his name later. Participle 'herinnerd' — no ge-, because her- is inseparable.
Zich vergissen — to be mistaken (no ge-)
| Infinitive | Present (ik) | Simple past (sg.) | Past participle | Auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| zich vergissen | vergis me | vergiste me | vergist | hebben |
Zich vergissen means "to be mistaken / to make a mistake (in one's judgment)". It is reflexive and begins with the inseparable prefix ver-, so again the participle is vergist — no ge-. The stem vergis ends in voiceless -s ('t kofschip), so the past takes -te: vergiste, and the participle ends in -t. English has no neat reflexive equivalent; "I was wrong" or "I made a mistake" both render as Ik heb me vergist.
Sorry, ik vergis me — het is volgende week, niet deze week.
Sorry, I'm mistaken — it's next week, not this week. 'vergis me'.
Als ik me niet vergis, woont ze in Gent.
If I'm not mistaken, she lives in Ghent. Common set phrase 'als ik me niet vergis'.
De kassière vergiste zich in het wisselgeld.
The cashier made a mistake with the change. Past 'vergiste zich'; 'zich vergissen in' = be wrong about.
Side-by-side summary
| Verb | Present (ik) | Past (sg.) | Participle | ge-? | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| zich voelen | voel me | voelde me | gevoeld | yes | feel |
| zich herinneren | herinner me | herinnerde me | herinnerd | no | remember |
| zich vergissen | vergis me | vergiste me | vergist | no | be mistaken |
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik voel goed vandaag.
Incorrect — zich voelen needs its pronoun: 'Ik voel me goed vandaag'.
✅ Ik voel me goed vandaag.
I feel good today.
❌ Herinner je nog onze eerste reis?
Incorrect — zich herinneren is reflexive: 'Herinner je je nog onze eerste reis?'
✅ Herinner je je nog onze eerste reis?
Do you still remember our first trip?
❌ Ze heeft zich vergegist in de datum.
Incorrect — ver- is inseparable, so no ge-: 'vergist', not 'gevergist/vergegist'.
✅ Ze heeft zich vergist in de datum.
She got the date wrong.
❌ Wij voelen zich niet welkom.
Incorrect — first-person plural uses 'ons', not 'zich': 'Wij voelen ons niet welkom'.
✅ Wij voelen ons niet welkom.
We don't feel welcome.
❌ Hij heeft me die dag goed herinnerd.
Misleading — with a reflexive meaning it's 'Hij heeft zich die dag goed herinnerd' (he remembered). 'me herinneren' only works with 'ik'.
✅ Hij heeft zich die dag goed herinnerd.
He remembered that day well.
Key Takeaways
- The reflexive pronoun is obligatory and changes with the subject: me/mij, je, zich, ons. Only the third person (and u) uses zich.
- zich voelen = feel (a state); without the pronoun, voelen means physically touch something.
- zich herinneren = remember; her- is inseparable → participle herinnerd, no ge-. Don't confuse with herinneren aan (remind).
- zich vergissen = be mistaken; ver- is inseparable → participle vergist, no ge-; common phrase als ik me niet vergis.
- All three take hebben in the perfect.
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Verb Reference: How to Use These TablesA2 — A guide to reading the verb-reference pages: what each conjugation table shows (present, simple past, perfect with its auxiliary, participle), how strong/weak/mixed verbs are labelled, why the auxiliary is flagged, and which verbs to master first.
- Reflexive VerbsB1 — Many Dutch verbs carry a reflexive pronoun (me, je, zich, ons) as part of their frame. Some are obligatorily reflexive with no English reflexive at all (zich vergissen = be mistaken, zich herinneren = remember, zich haasten = hurry); others are optionally reflexive, changing meaning depending on whether the object is the subject (zich wassen vs iemand wassen). The pronoun is best learned as part of the verb.
- Reflexive Pronouns and ZichA2 — When the subject acts on itself, Dutch uses a reflexive pronoun: me, je, ons reuse the object forms, but the third person and formal u have their own word, zich (Hij wast zich) — a form English simply does not have. Adding -zelf (mezelf, zichzelf) marks emphasis or genuine self-directed action, and many Dutch verbs are obligatorily reflexive where English uses none (zich vergissen = to be mistaken).
- Inseparable Prefixes: be-, ver-, ge-, ont-, her-, er-B1 — The six unstressed prefixes that never split off, take no ge- in the participle, and keep te in front of the whole verb — with the systematic meanings of ver-, ont-, and her-.
- Common Separable Verbs: Opstaan, Meenemen, AankomenA2 — Three everyday separable verbs in action: opstaan (get up), meenemen (take along), and aankomen (arrive) — how the prefix splits off in main clauses, rejoins in subordinate clauses, and where ge- goes in the participle.