Zusammenfassung
- A reflexive
verb is a verb that has an object which is the same as the subject of the
verb ==> the action of the reflexive verb is something one is doing to or
for oneself. Some verbs are always reflexive, others are not.
This is discussed in more detail below. Click
here for some examples.
- The reflexive
pronouns are similar to the regular accusative and dative pronouns, but in
the 3rd person singular and plural, there is only one form of the reflexive
pronoun for all genders and both accusative and dative: sich.
Click here to see the table of reflexive pronouns, and
compare it to the table of regular accusative and dative pronouns.
- Languages differ
in what actions they consider to be reflexive. Some verbs will always
be accompanied by a reflexive pronoun, e.g. Germans always think of sich
kämmen, sich waschen, sich beeilen [=to hurry up] and
even sich erkälten [=to catch a cold] as something one is doing
to oneself. In general, the reflexive is obligatory for many more verbs
in German than in English; a representative list of such reflexive
verbs is provided in the last section. Any other transitive verb
[i.e. verb that can take an object] will be reflexive when its subject and
object are the same. Thus, if Larry hits Moe and Curly over the head,
the verb schlagen will not be reflexive, but if Larry hits himself
on the head, you need to use a reflexive pronoun with schlagen.
Finally, there are some cases where it is up to you to decide whether you
want to emphasize that one is performing the action for oneself: in German
as in English, I can say "Ich kaufe einen Opel"
[=I buy an Opel] or "Ich kaufe mir einen Opel" [=I buy myself
an Opel]. Click here for some examples.
- Normally the
reflexive pronoun will be accusative. If the verb already has an accusative
object, however, then the reflexive pronoun will be dative. Note that
you will only notice this difference in the ich- and du-forms, since for all
the other persons, the accusative and dative reflexive pronouns are identical.
Click here for some examples.
- Note that the
plural reflexive pronouns can sometimes be used to express that two people
are doing something to each other, and are thus sometimes interchangeable
with the adverb "einander." Reflexive constructions are also sometimes
used as substitutes for the passive. Click here
for more details and examples.
- Click here
for a list of common reflexive verbs.
- Finally, a
warning: after reading about reflexive verbs, it is natural to overuse reflexive
pronouns for a while. Please remember that you should only use reflexive
pronouns in the situations described here!
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Practice
Exercises
Try these to see if
you understand reflexive pronouns!
Reflexive
or not? This exercise asks you to decide whether you need the
reflexive pronoun sich or a regular third person singular or plural pronoun.
The third person is used since for the first and second person singular and
plural, the reflexive pronouns are the same as the regular pronouns anyway.
Click here and here if this
exercise gives you trouble.
Pick
the correct reflexive pronoun to fill in the blank This exercise
allows you to practice using a variety of reflexive pronouns with a variety
of reflexive verbs. Click here and here
if this exercise gives you trouble.
Ein
wunderbarer Urlaub Decide if you need an accusative or a dative reflexive
pronoun to fill in the blank. This exercise focuses primarily on mich
and mir since the accusative and dative reflexive pronouns are the same
for most of the other persons. Click here if this
exercise gives you trouble.
Exzentriker
Practice using a variety of reflexive pronouns in this exercise about the habits
of various eccentric people.
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Definition
A reflexive verb is
a verb that has an object which is the same as the subject of the verb ==> the
action of the reflexive verb is something one is doing to or for oneself.
Some verbs are reflexive all or most of the time, others are only reflexive when
used in certain ways. Here are some examples to illustrate what is meant
by this definition. Where the infinitive is listed with a reflexive pronoun
in the table below, the verb is reflexive all or most of the time; in many cases,
the corresponding English verb is not reflexive. This is discussed in more
detail below.
| sich erkälten |
Er erkältet
sich. |
He
catches a cold. [literally: he "colds" himself ==> he is the
subject, and he is also the object] |
| sich anziehen |
Sie zieht
sich an. |
She
gets dressed. [literally: she dresses herself ==> she is the subject,
and she is also the object]
The only
way for this verb not to be reflexive is if someone dresses someone
else. |
| sich amüsieren |
Ich habe
mich auf dem Nagelbett amüsiert. |
I
enjoyed myself on the bed of nails. [==> I am the subject, and I am
also the object]
The only
way for this verb not to be reflexive is if someone amuses someone
else. |
| machen |
Er macht
sich einen Teller Käsespätzle. |
He
makes himself a plate of cheese Spätzle. [==> He is the subject,
and he is doing this for himself, so he is also the (indirect) object
(the Spätzle being the direct object in this case)] |
| lieben |
Erst muss
man sich selbst lieben. Dann kann man Deutsch lieben. |
First
one must love oneself. Then one can love German. [In the first sentence
one is loving oneself, i.e. one is the subject and the object, and the
sentence is reflexive. In the second sentence, one is the subject
and German is the object; these are different, so the second sentence
is not reflexive.] |
| weh tun |
Er hat sich
auf dem Nagelbett weh getan. Ich habe ihm nicht weh getan. |
He
hurt himself on the bed of nails. I did not hurt him. [In the first
sentence he is the subject, and he is also the object and the sentence
is reflexive. In the second sentence, I am and he is the object;
these are different, so the second sentence is not reflexive.] |
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Table
of Reflexive Pronouns
The reflexive pronouns
are similar to the regular accusative and dative pronouns, but in the 3rd person
singular and plural, there is only one form of the reflexive pronoun for all genders
and both accusative and dative: sich:
| Person |
Accusative
Reflexive Pronoun |
Dative
Reflexive Pronoun |
| ich |
mich |
mir |
| du |
dich |
dir |
| er/sie/es |
sich |
sich |
| wir |
uns |
uns |
| ihr |
euch |
euch |
| sie/Sie |
sich |
sich |
Compare this to
the table of regular accusative and dative pronouns:
| Person |
Accusative
Pronoun |
Dative
Pronoun |
| ich |
mich |
mir |
| du |
dich |
dir |
| er/sie/es |
ihn/sie/es |
ihm/ihr/ihm |
| wir |
uns |
uns |
| ihr |
euch |
euch |
| sie/Sie |
sie/Sie |
ihnen/Ihnen |
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Obligatory
and Optional Reflexives
Obligatory Reflexives
Languages differ in
what actions they consider to be reflexive. Some verbs will always be accompanied
by a reflexive pronoun, e.g. Germans always think of sich kämmen,
sich waschen, sich beeilen [=to hurry up] and even sich erkälten
[=to catch a cold] as something one is doing to oneself. In general, the
reflexive is obligatory for many more verbs in German than in English; a representative
list of such reflexive verbs is provided in the last section;
here is an exceprt from that list related to grooming and one's daily routine:
| Deutsch |
Englisch |
Beispiel |
| sich
(+Akk) baden |
to
take a bath |
Ich
bade mich gern jeden Sonntag. |
| sich
(+Akk) duschen |
to
shower |
Es
ist gesund, sich manchmal kalt zu duschen. |
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) waschen, du wäschst, wusch, hat gewaschen |
to
wash (oneself) |
Niemand
liebt mich. Ich muss mir den Rücken alleine waschen. |
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) kämmen |
to
comb oneself |
Ihr
seid cool, weil ihr euch nie die Haare kämmt. |
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) rasieren |
to
shave |
Niemand
rasiert sich gern den Rücken. |
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) an•ziehen, zog an, hat angezogen |
to
get dressed |
Zieh
dir die Lederhosen an! |
| sich
(+Akk) beeilen |
to
hurry |
Wir
müssen uns beeilen! |
| sich
(+Akk) verfahren, verfuhr, hat verfahren |
to
lose one's way (by car) |
Habt
ihr euch wieder verfahren? |
| sich
(+Akk) verlaufen, verlief, hat verlaufen |
to
lose one's way (on foot) |
Nein,
wir haben uns verlaufen. |
| sich
(+Akk) verspäten |
to
be late |
Deshalb
haben wir uns verspätet. |
| sich
(+Akk) aus•ruhen |
to
rest |
Es
ist OK. Ruht euch jetzt aus. |
| sich
(+Akk) setzen |
to
sit down |
Darf
ich mich auf dein antikes Sofa setzen? |
| sich
(+Akk) hin•legen |
to
lie down |
Leg
dich lieber hin. |
Reflexives with
other Transitive Verbs when Subject and Object are the same
Any other transitive
verb [i.e. verb that can take an object] will be reflexive when its subject and
object are the same. Thus, if Larry hits Moe and Curly over the head, the
verb schlagen will not be reflexive, but if Larry hits himself on
the head, you need to use a reflexive pronoun with schlagen.
| verletzen |
Jake Barnes
hat sich verletzt. |
Jake
Barnes hurt himself. [Jake is the subject and the object ==> reflexive] |
| verletzen |
Eine Kugel
hat Jake Barnes verletzt. |
A
bullet injured Jake Barnes. [The bullet is the subject, Jake is the object
==> not reflexive] |
| schreiben |
Hemingway
hat viele Romane geschrieben. |
Hemingway
wrote many novels. [Hemingway is the subject, the novels are the
object ==> not reflexive] |
| schreiben |
Hat Hemingway
in seinen Büchern über sich selber geschrieben? |
Did
Hemingway write about himself in his books? [Hemingway is the subject
and the object ==> reflexive] |
| hassen |
Hemingway
hat den Film A Farewell to Arms (1932) gehasst. [Er dachte
der Film war zu romantisch.] |
Hemingway
hated the movie A Farewell to Arms (1932). [Hemingway is
the subject and the movie is the object ==> not reflexive] |
| hassen |
Hat Hemingways
sich selbst gehasst? |
Did
Hemingway hate himself? [Hemingway is the subject and the object
==> reflexive] |
Notice the adverbs
"selbst" and "selber" in two of the above examples. This is sometimes
used to give added emphasis to the reflexive character of the action.
Don't confuse this with the other meaning of "selbst" and "selber," namely,
"by oneself," as in: "Ich muss immer alles selber machen" or "Ich kann mir meine
Schuhe selbst anziehen."
Optional Reflexives
Finally, there are
some cases where it is up to you to decide whether you want to emphasize that
one is performing the action for oneself: in German as in English, I can say "Ich
kaufe einen Opel" [=I buy an Opel] or "Ich kaufe
mir einen Opel" [=I buy myself an Opel]. More examples of
this:
| kaufen |
Ich kaufe
die deutsche Ausgabe von Harry Potter.
Ich kaufe mir die deutsche Ausgabe von Harry Potter. |
I buy the
German edition of Harry Potter.
I buy myself the German edition of Harry Potter. |
| machen |
Wir machen
einen SPAM
Reuben.
Wir machen uns einen SPAM Reuben. |
We make
a SPAM Reuben.
We make ourselves a SPAM Reuben. |
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Accusative
vs Dative Reflexive Pronouns
Normally the reflexive
pronoun will be accusative. If the verb already has an accusative object,
however, then the reflexive pronoun will be dative. Note that you will only
notice this difference in the ich- and du-forms, since for all the other persons,
the accusative and dative reflexive pronouns are identical.
| Ich
wasche mich. [no object other than the reflexive object] |
I'm
washing myself. |
Ich wasche
mir das Gesicht.
[here, the verb already has an accusative object: "das Gesicht," the specific
part of my body that needs washing because it's covered in disgusting
filth and I have a big date tonight, though no amount of washing is going
to remove the huge, throbbing, excruciatingly painful, greenish zit [der
Pickel] on the tip of my nose. Consequently, my face, which is being
washed, is accusative, and I'm the beneficiary/recipient of this action
==> dative] |
I'm
washing my face. |
Ich habe
mir beim Skifahren auf dem Großglockner den Arm gebrochen.
[here, the arm is the specific part of my body that I broke, so again
it's accusative and I'm the "beneficiary"/recipient of this action ==>
dative] |
I
broke my arm while skiiing on the Großglockner. |
Kauf dir
ein Bonbon!
[Here, the accusative object is "das Bonbon"; you're the beneficiary/recipient
when you buy it ==> dative] |
Buy
yourself some candy! |
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Important
Details
- The plural
reflexive pronouns can sometimes be used to express that two people are doing
something to each other, and are thus sometimes interchangeable with the adverb
"einander." In some cases, it is preferable to use "einander" in order
to avoid ambiguity: see the third example below:
Wir
haben uns in der Stadt getroffen.
Wir haben einander in der Stadt getroffen. |
We
met (each other) in town. |
Sie hatten
sich jahrelang nicht mehr gesehen.
Sie hatten einander jahrelang nicht mehr
gesehen. |
They
hadn't seen each other for years. |
Die Affen
entfernen sich die Läuse.
Die Affen entfernen einander die Läuse. |
With
"sich" this can mean the monkeys are each removing their own lice on their
own bodies, or that they are doing this for each other.
With "einander," it has to mean that they are doing it for each other. |
- Reflexive
constructions are sometimes used as substitutes for the passive. Particularly
common in this context is the expression "sich lassen" ["(it) lets itself
be done," i.e. "(it) can be done"]:
| Das
lässt sich (nicht) machen. |
That
can (can't) be done. |
| Die Dose
SPAM lässt sich leicht öffnen. |
The
can of SPAM can be opened easily. |
| "Scheiße"
schreibt sich mit "ß". |
"Scheiße"
is spelled with an "ß". |
- Another use
of "sich lassen" is to express that one is having something done for oneself:
| Ich
lasse mir die Haare schneiden. |
I'm
having my hair cut. |
| Wir lassen
uns ein Haus bauen. |
We're
having a house built for ourselves. |
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A
List of Common Reflexive Verbs
| Deutsch |
Englisch |
Significantly
different meanings of the verb when not used reflexively |
| sich
(+Akk) baden |
to
take a bath |
|
| sich
(+Akk) duschen |
to
shower |
|
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) waschen, du wäschst, wusch, hat gewaschen |
to
wash (oneself) |
|
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) kämmen |
to
comb oneself |
|
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) rasieren |
to
shave |
|
| sich
(+Akk/+Dat) an•ziehen, zog an, hat angezogen |
to
get dressed |
|
| sich
(+Akk) beeilen |
to
hurry |
|
| sich
(+Akk) verfahren, verfuhr, hat verfahren |
to
lose one's way (by car) |
|
| sich
(+Akk) verlaufen, verlief, hat verlaufen |
to
lose one's way (on foot) |
|
| sich
(+Akk) verspäten |
to
be late |
|
| sich
(+Akk) aus•ruhen |
to
rest |
|
| sich
(+Akk) setzen |
to
sit down |
|
| sich
(+Akk) hin•legen |
to
lie down |
to
put something down |
| |
|
|
| sich
(+Dat) etwas merken |
to
commit something to memory |
|
| sich
(+Dat) etwas überlegen |
to
think something over |
|
| sich
(+Akk) (gut/schlecht) fühlen |
to
feel well/ill etc. |
to
sense (physically or mentally) |
| sich
(+Akk) erkälten |
to
catch a cold |
|
| sich
(+Dat) etwas brechen |
to
break something (arm, leg) |
to
break (something); to vomit |
| sich
(+Akk) erholen |
to
recover |
|
| |
|
|
| sich
(+Akk) amüsieren |
to
have a good time, enjoy oneself |
to
amuse someone |
| sich
(+Akk) langweilen |
to
be bored |
|
| sich
(+Dat) etwas an•sehen, du siehst an, sah an, hat angesehen |
to
take a look at something |
|
| sich
(+Dat) etwas ein•bilden |
to
(falsely) imagine/think something |
|
| sich
(+Dat) etwas vor•stellen |
to
imagine something (in the sense of picturing it) |
|
| |
|
|
| sich
(+Akk) benehmen, benahm, hat benommen |
to
behave (well, badly, oddly) |
|
| sich
(+Akk) entschuldigen |
to
apologize |
to
excuse (someone/something) |
| sich
(+Akk) vor•stellen |
to
introduce oneself |
|
| |
|
|
| sich
(+Akk) erinnern an (acc.) |
to
remember |
to
remind |
| sich
(+Akk) freuen auf (acc.) |
to
look forward to |
|
| sich
(+Akk) freuen über (acc.) |
to
be glad about |
|
| sich
(+Akk) gewöhnen an (acc.) |
to
get used to |
|
| sich
(+Akk) interessieren für |
to
be interested in |
|
| sich
(+Akk) kümmern um |
to
look after, to bother about |
|
| sich
(+Akk) sehnen nach |
to
long for |
|
| sich
(+Akk) Sorgen machen um |
to
be worried about |
|
| sich
(+Akk) verlieben in (acc.) |
to
fall in love with |
|
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|
