The reflexive pronouns mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si look like a separate category to most learners — but grammatically they are simply clitics, the same family as the object pronouns lo, la, li, le, gli, ne. That single fact unlocks all of their placement behavior. Wherever an object clitic goes, the reflexive pronoun goes; whatever rules govern lo govern si. Once you internalize that, the apparent zoo of patterns — mi alzo, alzarmi, alzandomi, alzati, si alzi, non alzarti — collapses into five clean rules.
This page lays out those five rules, in the order you will need them.
Rule 1 — With a conjugated verb: PRECEDE
When the reflexive verb is conjugated in any finite tense (presente, imperfetto, passato prossimo, futuro, condizionale, congiuntivo, etc.), the reflexive pronoun stands immediately before the verb, written as a separate word.
| Tense | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| presente | mi alzo | I get up |
| imperfetto | si alzava | he was getting up |
| passato prossimo | si è svegliato | he woke up |
| futuro | ci vedremo | we'll see each other |
| condizionale | vi divertireste | you guys would have fun |
| congiuntivo | che ti sbagli | that you're wrong |
In compound tenses (passato prossimo, trapassato, futuro anteriore, etc.), the reflexive pronoun precedes the auxiliary, never the participle. So mi sono lavato, never sono milavato and never sono lavatomi.
Mi alzo alle sette tutti i giorni.
I get up at seven every day.
Si è svegliato tardi e ha perso il treno.
He woke up late and missed the train.
Ci sentiamo domani, ok?
We'll talk tomorrow, ok? (literally 'we hear each other')
Rule 2 — With infinito, gerundio, or participio: ATTACH
When the verb is in a non-finite form — the infinitive, the gerund, or the past participle used adjectivally — the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of the verb, written as a single word. This is enclitic placement.
For the infinitive, the final -e drops before the clitic:
- alzare + si → alzarsi
- vestire + mi → vestirmi
- divertire + ci → divertirci
For the gerundio (which ends in -ando or -endo), the clitic attaches directly with no spelling change:
- alzando + mi → alzandomi
- vestendo + si → vestendosi
Voglio alzarmi presto domani.
I want to get up early tomorrow.
Prima di addormentarsi, controlla sempre il telefono.
Before falling asleep, he always checks his phone.
Alzandomi dal letto, ho visto che pioveva.
As I got up from bed, I saw that it was raining.
Vestitosi in fretta, è uscito di casa.
Having dressed quickly, he left the house. (literary)
The last example uses the past participle in absolute construction — a register typical of literary or formal narration. In everyday Italian you would usually rephrase with a finite verb.
Rule 3 — With modal + infinitive: clitic climbing is OPTIONAL
When a modal verb (dovere, potere, volere, sapere) is followed by a reflexive infinitive, you have two equally correct positions for the pronoun. Either:
- Attach it to the infinitive (the default position): devo alzarmi
- Climb it up to precede the modal: mi devo alzare
Both versions mean exactly the same thing. This is one of the rare places in Italian grammar where you have a genuine free choice. Native speakers use both, sometimes even within the same conversation. Climbed forms feel slightly more colloquial and faster-flowing; attached forms can sound a touch more deliberate.
| Attached (clitic on infinitive) | Climbed (clitic before modal) |
|---|---|
| Devo alzarmi. | Mi devo alzare. |
| Voglio sposarla. | La voglio sposare. |
| Non posso lavarmi i capelli. | Non mi posso lavare i capelli. |
| Sapeva difendersi. | Si sapeva difendere. |
Devo svegliarmi alle cinque domani.
I have to wake up at five tomorrow. (clitic on the infinitive)
Mi devo svegliare alle cinque domani.
I have to wake up at five tomorrow. (clitic climbed up)
In compound tenses with a modal, climbing also affects the auxiliary choice — see compound tenses with modal verbs for that knot of details.
Rule 4 — With the imperativo: enclitic for tu/noi/voi, proclitic for Lei
The imperative is where things get genuinely tricky, because the four imperative persons (tu, Lei, noi, voi) split into two camps.
Affirmative tu, noi, voi — the clitic attaches to the end:
Alzati! Sono già le otto.
Get up! It's already eight.
Sediamoci qui, c'è più ombra.
Let's sit down here, there's more shade.
Preparatevi, partiamo tra dieci minuti.
Get ready, we're leaving in ten minutes.
Lei imperativo — the clitic precedes the verb (proclitic), because the Lei imperative is borrowed from the present subjunctive and behaves like a finite verb:
Si accomodi, prego.
Please make yourself comfortable. (formal)
Si sieda lì, signora.
Have a seat there, madam.
Negative tu — uses non + infinitive, and offers two equivalent positions for the clitic:
- Non + infinitive + clitic (clitic attached): Non alzarti!
- Non + clitic + infinitive (clitic climbed): Non ti alzare!
Both are grammatical and used by native speakers. The attached version is somewhat more frequent in writing.
Non alzarti, sono solo le sei!
Don't get up, it's only six! (clitic attached)
Non ti alzare, sono solo le sei!
Don't get up, it's only six! (clitic before non + infinitive)
For the full clitic-placement table across the imperative, see imperative clitic attachment.
Rule 5 — With negation: the clitic stays put
Negation with non does not affect the position of the reflexive clitic. The pronoun stays exactly where Rules 1–4 put it; non simply slots in to the left of the whole clitic+verb cluster.
Non mi alzo prima delle otto, mai.
I never get up before eight.
Non si è ancora svegliato.
He hasn't woken up yet.
Preferisco non alzarmi così presto.
I'd rather not get up that early.
The same goes for adverbs that often appear between non and the verb (mai, ancora, già, più): they slip in between non and the clitic+verb cluster, never inside it.
Non mi alzo mai prima delle otto.
I never get up before eight.
Common mistakes
❌ Alzo mi alle sette.
Incorrect — the clitic must precede the conjugated verb, not follow it.
✅ Mi alzo alle sette.
Correct — proclitic position with finite verbs.
❌ Voglio mi alzare presto.
Incorrect — when there is no finite verb to precede, the clitic must attach to the infinitive (or climb to a modal).
✅ Voglio alzarmi presto. / Mi voglio alzare presto.
Correct — either attached to the infinitive or climbed onto the modal voglio.
❌ Mi devo alzarmi presto.
Incorrect — you cannot put the clitic in both positions at once. Pick one.
✅ Mi devo alzare presto. / Devo alzarmi presto.
Correct — one position only.
❌ Sono mi alzato alle sei.
Incorrect — the clitic precedes the auxiliary in compound tenses, never sits between the auxiliary and the participle.
✅ Mi sono alzato alle sei.
Correct — clitic before the auxiliary essere.
❌ Si alzi! (to a friend)
Incorrect register — Lei imperativo addresses someone you would address as Lei, not a friend.
✅ Alzati! (to a friend)
Correct — tu imperativo with the enclitic ti.
❌ Non alza ti!
Incorrect — negative tu requires either Non alzarti! or Non ti alzare!, not the affirmative form with non.
✅ Non alzarti! / Non ti alzare!
Correct — both positions allowed in the negative tu.
Key takeaways
The five rules in one table:
| Verb form | Clitic position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Conjugated (any tense) | before the verb | mi alzo, si è alzato |
| Infinito / gerundio / participio | attached to the end | alzarmi, alzandomi, alzatosi |
| Modal + infinito | either attached OR climbed | devo alzarmi = mi devo alzare |
| Imperativo affirmative tu/noi/voi | attached to the end | alzati!, sediamoci!, preparatevi! |
| Imperativo Lei | before the verb | si accomodi |
| Imperativo negative tu | both positions allowed | non alzarti! = non ti alzare! |
Notice that none of these rules is special to reflexive pronouns. Every one of them — the proclitic-with-finite, the enclitic-with-infinitive, the climbing option with modals, the imperative split — applies identically to object clitics like lo, la, gli, ne. Reflexive pronouns are clitics, full stop. Master the placement rules once and you have it for the entire pronoun system.
For the broader picture of how reflexive verbs work — meaning, conjugation, agreement in compound tenses — see the reflexive verbs complete reference.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Reflexive Verbs: OverviewA1 — How Italian uses reflexive pronouns to mark verbs whose subject and object are the same — and why Italian uses reflexives in many places where English uses no pronoun at all.
- Reflexive Verbs: Complete ReferenceA2 — Everything reflexive in one place — conjugation patterns, the four types of pronominal verb, the high-frequency vocabulary list, placement rules, compound-tense behavior, and the meaning shifts that turn decidere into decidersi.
- Imperativo: Clitic Attachment RulesA2 — The four rules that govern where clitic pronouns go with the imperativo — including the famous consonant-doubling trick of dammi, fammi, dimmi, vacci.
- Infinitive: Clitic AttachmentA2 — Clitic pronouns attach to the end of the infinitive, with the infinitive's final -e dropping: vederlo, dirmi, alzarsi. With modal verbs, the clitic can also climb to before the modal — both positions are correct.
- Gerundio: Clitic AttachmentB1 — Where pronouns go with the gerundio — the enclitic rule, when clitic climbing is allowed with stare/andare/venire, and how negation interacts.
- Passato Prossimo of Reflexive VerbsA2 — Why every reflexive verb takes essere in compound tenses without exception, where the reflexive pronoun goes, and the agreement rule that catches everyone — including reflexive verbs that look transitive.