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A reflexive verb is a verb where the action comes back to the person who does it: I wash myself, she dresses herself. English uses “myself” only sometimes; Italian uses reflexive verbs constantly, including in places where English doesn’t. “My name is Marco” in Italian is literally “I call myself Marco” – Mi chiamo Marco.
How reflexive verbs look
In the dictionary you recognize them by the ending -SI: lavarsi (to wash oneself), chiamarsi (to be called), alzarsi (to get up), vestirsi (to get dressed), svegliarsi (to wake up).
To conjugate one, split it into two parts: the reflexive pronoun and a normal verb. The pronoun goes before the verb and changes with the person:
| Io mi lavo | I wash myself |
| Tu ti lavi | You wash yourself |
| Lui, Lei si lava | He, she washes himself / herself |
| Noi ci laviamo | We wash ourselves |
| Voi vi lavate | You wash yourselves |
| Loro si lavano | They wash themselves |
The verb itself conjugates exactly as you already know. The only new thing is the little pronoun in front: mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si.
Your morning in reflexive verbs
A typical Italian morning is one long chain of reflexive verbs:
Mi sveglio alle sette – I wake up at seven
Mi alzo – I get up
Mi lavo e mi faccio la doccia – I wash and take a shower
Mi vesto – I get dressed
Mi preparo e esco – I get ready and go out
And in the evening: mi spoglio (I undress), mi addormento (I fall asleep).
Other very common reflexive verbs
chiamarsi – to be called (Mi chiamo Anna – My name is Anna)
sentirsi – to feel (Come ti senti? – How do you feel?)
divertirsi – to have fun (Ci divertiamo molto – We have a lot of fun)
arrabbiarsi – to get angry (Perché ti arrabbi? – Why are you getting angry?)
ricordarsi – to remember (Non mi ricordo – I don’t remember)
sposarsi – to get married (Si sposano a giugno – They are getting married in June)
fermarsi – to stop (L’autobus si ferma qui – The bus stops here)
sedersi – to sit down (Si sieda, prego – Sit down, please, formal)
Reflexive verbs in the past
In Passato Prossimo, all reflexive verbs take ESSERE, so the participle agrees with the subject:
Mi sono svegliato tardi – I woke up late (a man speaking)
Mi sono svegliata tardi – I woke up late (a woman speaking)
Ci siamo divertiti alla festa – We had fun at the party
Anna si è arrabbiata con me – Anna got angry with me
With modal verbs
With volere, potere and dovere, the pronoun has two possible homes, and both are correct:
Mi devo alzare presto = Devo alzarmi presto – I have to get up early
Ti vuoi sedere? = Vuoi sederti? – Do you want to sit down?
When the pronoun sticks to the infinitive, the infinitive loses its final -E.
Examples
Come si chiama Suo figlio? – What is your son’s name? (formal)
A che ora ti svegli di solito? – What time do you usually wake up?
Il treno si ferma a Bologna? – Does the train stop in Bologna?
Non mi sento bene oggi – I don’t feel well today
I bambini si addormentano alle nove – The children fall asleep at nine
Ieri ci siamo alzati alle sei – Yesterday we got up at six
Vi ricordate di quella vacanza? – Do you remember that vacation?
Mia sorella si è sposata l’anno scorso – My sister got married last year
Vocabulary
| svegliarsi – to wake up
alzarsi – to get up lavarsi – to wash oneself vestirsi – to get dressed chiamarsi – to be called sentirsi – to feel divertirsi – to have fun |
arrabbiarsi – to get angry
ricordarsi – to remember sposarsi – to get married fermarsi – to stop sedersi – to sit down addormentarsi – to fall asleep di solito – usually |
Exercises
Put the reflexive verb into the correct form (watch the tense!)
- Io ______________ alle sei e mezza (SVEGLIARSI, present) – I wake up at 6:30
- Come ______________ tua sorella? (CHIAMARSI, present) – What is your sister’s name?
- Noi ______________ molto in vacanza (DIVERTIRSI, present) – We have a lot of fun on vacation
- Perché tu ______________ sempre? (ARRABBIARSI, present) – Why do you always get angry?
- L’autobus non ______________ in questa piazza (FERMARSI, present) – The bus doesn’t stop in this square
- Ieri Maria ______________ tardi (ALZARSI, passato prossimo) – Yesterday Maria got up late
- Noi ______________ al concerto (DIVERTIRSI, passato prossimo) – We had fun at the concert
- I miei nonni ______________ nel 1970 (SPOSARSI, passato prossimo) – My grandparents got married in 1970
- Voi ______________ presto domani? (DOVERE + ALZARSI, present) – Do you have to get up early tomorrow?
- Non (io) ______________ del suo nome (RICORDARSI, present) – I don’t remember his name
Answers:
1: mi sveglio; 2: si chiama; 3: ci divertiamo; 4: ti arrabbi; 5: si ferma; 6: si è alzata; 7: ci siamo divertiti; 8: si sono sposati; 9: dovete alzarvi (or: vi dovete alzare); 10: mi ricordo