Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns
Many daily routines, like getting ready in the morning, use reflexive verbs. These describe actions you do to yourself. Since the action happens directly to the subject, German uses accusative reflexive pronouns.
| Subject | Reflexive Pronoun (Accusative) | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mich | myself |
| du | dich | yourself |
| er / sie / es | sich | himself / herself / itself |
| wir | uns | ourselves |
| ihr | euch | yourselves (plural) |
| sie / Sie | sich | themselves / yourself (formal) |
Most match the regular accusative pronouns (mich, dich, uns, euch). The only new form is sich, used for all third-person subjects and the formal Sie.
Sentence Structure
The reflexive pronoun typically sits immediately after the conjugated verb.
| First, I wash myself with the soap. | Zuerst wasche ich mich mit der Seife. |
| After that, I dry myself. | Danach trockne ich mich ab. |
For er, sie, es, sie (they), and Sie (formal), the pronoun is always sich.
| The man shaves in the morning. | Der Mann rasiert sich morgens. |
| Anna puts on makeup in front of the mirror. | Anna schminkt sich vor dem Spiegel. |
Modal Verbs and Commands
When you use a modal verb like müssen (must / have to), the main reflexive verb goes to the end of the sentence as an infinitive. The reflexive pronoun stays near the conjugated modal verb.
| You have to comb your hair! | Du musst dich kämmen! |
| We have to hurry, it is late. | Wir müssen uns beeilen, es ist spät. |
| You have to wash yourselves with the soap! | Ihr müsst euch mit der Seife waschen! |
In commands, the reflexive pronoun directly follows the imperative verb.
| Hurry up, we have to leave! | Beeil dich, wir müssen abfahren! |
