Verbes pronominaux subjectifs
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Several dozen verbs require a reflexive pronoun but are neither reflexive nor reciprocal. These verbs use the reflexive pronoun to create a meaning different from (though often related to) the meaning of their non-pronominal siblings.
Par exemple…
Ils s’entendent bien. | They get along well. | |
Je me dépêche. | I’m hurrying. | |
Elle s’appelle Laurence. | Her name is Laurence. |
Most common French idiomatic pronominal verbs*
Here are the most common verbes pronominaux subjectifs with their non-pronominal meanings.
Non-pronominal meaning | |||
s’en aller | to go away | to go | |
s’amuser | to have a good time | to amuse | |
s’apercevoir | to notice | to glimpse, perceive | |
s’appeler | to be named | to call | |
s’approprier | to appropriate, take over | to suit, adapt to | |
s’attendre (à) | to expect | to wait for | |
se débrouiller | to manage, get by | to disentangle | |
se demander | to wonder | to ask | |
se dépêcher | to hurry | to send quickly | |
se dérouler | to happen, take place | to unroll, unwind | |
se diriger vers | to head toward | to run, be in charge of | |
se douter | to suspect | to doubt | |
s’éclater | to have a blast (informal) | to blow up, explode | |
s’éclipser | to slip away/out | to eclipse, overshadow | |
s’ennuyer | to be bored | to bother | |
s’entendre | to get along | to hear | |
se faire à | to get used to | to do, make | |
se figurer | to imagine, picture | to represent, to appear | |
s’habituer à | to get used to | to get in the habit of | |
s’installer | to settle in (to a home, job) | to install | |
se joindre à | to join (a group) | to join, connect 2 things | |
se mettre à | to begin to | to place, put | |
se passer | to happen | to pass, go by | |
se perdre | to get lost | to lose | |
se plaindre | to complain | to pity, begrudge | |
s’y prendre | to set about doing something | to take | |
se refuser de | to deny oneself (the opportunity) | to refuse | |
se rendre à | to go to | to return | |
se rendre compte de | to realize | to account for | |
s’en retourner | to journey back | to return | |
se réunir | to meet, get together | to gather, collect | |
se saisir de | to seize, to take up (an issue) | to grab, take hold of | |
se servir de | to use, make use of | to serve | |
se tromper | to be mistaken | to deceive | |
se trouver | to be located | to find |
See the main lesson on pronominal verbs for details on using idiomatic pronominal verbs in different tenses and moods.
* About the name: Le Bon Usage calls these verbes pronominaux subjectifs, which would seem to translate to "subjective verbs." However, in English, that term is synonymous with intransitive verbs, which are something else entirely. Therefore, I’ve chosen to call them idiomatic pronominal verbs. If you know the correct English name for them, please let me know.
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