Reflexive Verbs
A reflexive verb is a verb that describes an action that effects
the subject of the action. We do not have these verbs in the English
Language but they are common in Spanish and French.
| Se lever |
To get up (you get yourself
up) If the verb was not reflexive it would be 'lever' and you would
need a direct object e.g. He gets his mother up. |
|
|
| S' habiller |
To get dressed (you dress
yourself) uno se viste a si mismo). If the verb was not reflexive,
it would be 'habiller' and you would need a direct object e.g. She
dresses her son. |
When these verbs are conjugated they are accompanied with the corresponding
personal pronoun:
| Je me lève |
I get (myself) up |
| Tu te lèves |
You get (yourself) up |
| Il / elle se lève |
He/she gets (himself/herself) up
|
| Nous nous levons |
We get (ourselves) up |
| Vous vous levez |
You get (yourselves) up |
| Ils / elles se lèvent |
They get (themselves) up |
Here are a few examples:
| Elle se lave |
She washes herself |
| Je me rase |
I shave myself |
| Nous nous réveillons |
We wake ourselves up |
In order to construct the present perfect or the past perfect of
reflexive verbs, you take the verb"être" and you ensure
it agrees with the subject and participle:
| Elle s' est lavée |
She has washsed (herself) |
| Il s' est lavé |
He has washed (himself) |
| Elles se sont lavées |
They have washed (themselves) |
| Ils se sont lavés |
It has washed (itself) |
The negative form of these verbs is constructed by placing the particle
"ne" in front of the personal pronoun and "pas"
after the verb:
| Je ne me lève
pas |
I don't get (myself) up |
| Elle ne se réveille pas |
She doesn't wake (herself) up |
| Vous ne vous habillez pas |
You don't get (yourself) dressed
|
You can make this strucutre into a question in the following way:
| Te lèves-tu ? |
Are you getting (yourself) up?
|
| Nous habillons-nous ? |
Shall we get (ourselves) dressed?
|
| Se sont-ils rasés ? |
Have they shaved (themselves)?
|
VOCABULARY
la voiture
| Steering wheel |
Volant (m) |
Clutch |
Embrayage (m) |
| Spark plug |
Bougie (f) |
Tyre |
Pneumatique (m) |
| Battery |
Batterie (f) |
Wheel |
Roue (f) |
| Engine |
Moteur (m) |
Bonnet |
Capot (m) |
| Piston |
Piston (m) |
Boot |
Coffre (m) |
| Windscreen |
Pare-brise (m) |
Cylinder |
Cylindre (m) |
| Windscreen wiper |
Essuie-glace (m) |
Break |
Frein (m) |
| Bumper |
Pare-chocs (m) |
Carbureterr |
Carburateur (m) |
| Rearview mirror |
Rétroviseur (m) |
Accelerator |
Accélérateur (m) |
| Gear |
Marche (f) |
Deposit |
Réservoir (m) d'essence |
| Number plate |
Numéro (m) d'immatriculacion |
|
|
