Je me rase le matin.

I shave in the morning.

Breakdown of Je me rase le matin.

• je: I
• le matin: the morning
• me: myself
• se raser: to shave

Questions & Answers about Je me rase le matin.

What is the role of the pronoun me in Je me rase le matin?

It marks the verb as reflexive: the subject performs the action on themself. The base verb is se raser “to shave oneself.” Without the reflexive pronoun, raser means “to shave” (someone/something else).

Can I say Je rase le matin to mean “I shave in the morning”?

No. Je rase le matin suggests “I shave [someone/something] in the morning.” To say you shave yourself, use the reflexive: Je me rase le matin.

Why is it le matin and not “in the morning” with a preposition (like English)?

French typically uses the definite article with parts of the day to express a general time: le matin, l’après-midi, le soir. So Je me rase le matin = “I shave in the morning (as a general habit).”

Does le matin mean “every morning”?

It often implies a habitual action, but it’s not as strong as “every.” For precision:

• “Every morning”: chaque matin or tous les matins
• “This morning”: ce matin
• “In the morning(s) generally”: le matin

Where can I place the time expression?

Either at the end or the beginning:

• Je me rase le matin.
• Le matin, je me rase.
  Both are natural. Placing it at the end is most common in neutral statements.

How do I make it negative?

Place the negation around the reflexive pronoun and verb:

• Je ne me rase pas le matin. (I don’t shave in the morning.)
• With “never”: Je ne me rase jamais le matin.
• In the past: Je ne me suis pas rasé(e) ce matin.

How do I ask a yes/no question with this sentence?

Three common ways:

• Rising intonation (informal): Tu te rases le matin ?
• Est-ce que: Est-ce que tu te rases le matin ?
• Inversion (formal): Te rases-tu le matin ?

Why do French sentences with body parts use the definite article (le/la/les) and not possessives?

With reflexive verbs, the possessor is clear from the reflexive pronoun, so French uses the definite article:

• Je me rase le visage. (not “mon visage”)
• Elle se rase les jambes.
  Using possessives here sounds odd in standard French.

Can I specify what I shave?

Yes:

• Je me rase la barbe / le visage.
• Je me rase les jambes / les aisselles.
  Note: Se raser alone often implies the face for men; adding the body part removes ambiguity.

How do I conjugate se raser in the present?

• je me rase
• tu te rases
• il/elle/on se rase
• nous nous rasons
• vous vous rasez
• ils/elles se rasent

How do I say it in the past (passé composé), and do I need agreement?

Use être:

• Masculine speaker: Je me suis rasé.
• Feminine speaker: Je me suis rasée.
  Agreement rule: the past participle agrees with a preceding direct object. In se raser “oneself,” the reflexive pronoun is direct, so you agree. But if you add a body part (direct object after the verb), there’s no agreement:
• Elle s’est rasé les jambes. (no -e)
• Ils se sont rasé la barbe.

What are the imperative forms?

• Affirmative: Rase-toi (le matin) ! / Rasons-nous ! / Rasez-vous !
• Negative: Ne te rase pas ! / Ne nous rasons pas ! / Ne vous rasez pas !
  Note the hyphen and pronoun order changes in the affirmative imperative.

Any pronunciation tips for Je me rase le matin?

• The French r in rase is guttural (in the throat).
• me is usually very short; in fast speech you’ll hear something like “j’me rase.”
• matin ends with a nasal vowel; the “n” is not fully pronounced.

Can women say Je me rase le matin?

Yes. It simply means they shave in the morning; context often implies legs or underarms. To be specific: Je me rase les jambes le matin.

Is there a difference between le matin and dans la matinée?

Yes:

• le matin = the morning (as a part of the day) or habitual mornings.
• dans la matinée = at some point during the morning (time window), often the same day: Je me raserai dans la matinée.

How do I express “I am shaving (right now)”?

French often uses the simple present or “en train de”:

• Je me rase (là).
• Je suis en train de me raser. (explicitly “in the middle of shaving”) For a specific day: Ce matin, je me rase. (plan) or past: Ce matin, je me suis rasé(e).

Can I add adverbs of frequency?

Yes. Common placements:

• Between subject and verb or after the verb phrase: Je me rase souvent le matin.
• At the start for emphasis: D’habitude, je me rase le matin.