Pronominal verbs

Question 1

Reflexive verbs

Answer 1

the action of a reflexive verb is reflected back on to the subject, the action being done to oneself
je me
tu te
il/elle se
nous nous
vous vous
ils/elles se

Question 2

reflexive verbs in the negative form

Answer 2

the ne follows the subject pronoun and the pas follows the conjugated verb
elle ne se réveille pas avant huit heures

Question 3

reciprocal verbs

Answer 3

describes an action two or more people perform with or for each other. since two or more people are involved reciprocal verbs can only be used in the plural (with se, nous and vous)
eg. nous nous parlons tous les jours

Question 4

passive pronominal verbs

Answer 4

the subject is not a person or an animal. the subject does not perform the action of the verb but rather is subjected to it. it is in the third person singular with se
eg. le vin rouge se boit chambré = red wine is drunk at room temperature

Question 5

subjective pronominals

Answer 5

these verbs are neither reflexive or reciprocal. for idiomatic or historical reasons they just happen to use the pronominal forms
s’apercevoir - to realize
se moquer - to make fun
se souvenir - to remember
s’en aller - to leave
s’envoler - to vanish
s’enfuir - to run away

Question 6

pronominal verbs in the imperative

Answer 6

for the affirmative imperative, add the stressed pronoun toi, nous or vous after the verb, connected with a hyphen
eg. réveille-toi

Question 7

pronominal verbs in the negative imperative

Answer 7

use ne in front of the pronoun and pas after the verb, reflexive pronoun precedes the verb, as it would in a normal sentence
eg. ne te couche pas si tard

Question 8

pronominal verbs in the infinitive

Answer 8

the reflexive pronoun is always in the same person and number as the subject, and it precedes the infinitive
eg. tu viens de te marier?
vous allez vous apercevoir de votre erreur