Act #16: Mission impossible?

PRONOMINAL VERBS

A pronominal verb is a verb that is accompanied by a reflexive pronoun. Pronominal verbs fall into three classes based on their meaning: they can be reflexive, idiomatic, or reciprocal. To conjugate pronominal verbs in the present tense, you need to pay attention to both the pronoun and the verb form. Look carefully at the conjugation of the following pronominal verb. The verb is conjugated normally (here an -er verb) with addition of the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nous, vous, se.

SE LAVER (to wash)
je	me    lave
tu	te      laves
il/elle	se     lave
nous	nous lavons
vous	vous lavez
ils/elles	se     lavent

Reflexive verbs

Pronominal verbs often express reflexive actions. That is, the subject performs the action on itself. When the subject performs the action on someone else, the verb is not reflexive. Note how the ne of the ne...pas is placed before the reflexive pronoun. Here’s a list of common reflexive verbs in French: