The Reflexive Pronoun "se"
In Croatian, many daily routines and actions you perform on yourself use the reflexive pronoun se. While English often implies the action (like "I shower"), Croatian explicitly requires se.
| to shower | tuširati se |
| I am showering now. | Sada se tuširam. |
As a clitic (a short, unstressed word), se usually takes the second position in a sentence or clause. Notice that the pronoun stays exactly the same no matter who is performing the action!
| We are getting dressed in the room. | Oblačimo se u sobi. |
| Where is the towel? I want to shower. | Gdje je ručnik? Želim se tuširati. |
Morning Routines
Many verbs related to personal hygiene and grooming are reflexive. Whether you are shaving or combing your hair, you will use se.
| He is looking in the mirror and shaving. | Gleda u ogledalo i brije se. |
| I am combing my hair in the bathroom. | Češljam se u kupaonici. |
Washing Specific Things
If you direct the action at a specific object instead of yourself, the verb is not reflexive. For example, prati (to wash) is used without se when you specify what you are washing, like your face (lice) or teeth (zube—in Croatian, you "wash" your teeth!).
| to wash | prati |
| The water is cold, but I am washing my face. | Voda je hladna, ali perem lice. |
| I must brush my teeth. | Moram prati zube. |
Reflexive Verbs in the Past Tense
Because se must maintain its clitic position, it follows unstressed auxiliary verbs (like sam) in positive sentences, but steps in front of stressed negative verbs (like nije).
| I woke up late today. | Danas sam se kasno probudio. |
| He did not shave today. | Danas se nije brijao. |
