Why do French reflexive verbs use être in the passé composé?

Every pronominal verb takes être, with no exceptions: je me suis levé, on s'est perdus, elle s'est arrêtée. The participle normally agrees with the subject, but not when a direct object follows the verb: elle s'est lavé les mains, il s'est rendu compte de son erreur.

What is the difference between se souvenir and se rappeler?

The meaning is the same, the grammar is not. Se souvenir needs de: je me souviens de ce jour. Se rappeler takes a direct object: je me rappelle ce jour. You will hear "je me rappelle de" constantly in speech on both sides of the Atlantic, but avoid it in writing and in exams.

How do I use reflexive verbs in the negative and in commands?

In the negative, ne … pas wraps around the pronoun and the verb: je ne me lève pas tôt, il ne s'est pas excusé. In the affirmative imperative the pronoun comes after the verb and te becomes toi: dépêche-toi, assieds-toi, lave-toi les mains. In the negative imperative it goes back in front: ne te dépêche pas.

Are these reflexive verbs the same in Québec and in France?

All 40 verbs here work everywhere. A few habits differ: in Québec se chicaner often replaces se disputer, faire une marche replaces se promener, prendre sa douche is more frequent than se doucher, je m'excuse is the standard apology, and s'ennuyer de quelqu'un (to miss someone) is far more common than in France.

French Reflexive Verbs: 40 Essentials for A2

🇫🇷 French · 40 cards · A2 · by Théo Marchand

These forty verbs are the ones you use before you've even left the house, plus the ones you need to say how you feel and how you get on with people. The deck runs from the daily routine (se lever, s'habiller) through feelings (s'inquiéter, s'énerver) to mental verbs like se rendre compte and se tromper, and finishes with reciprocal ones: se rencontrer, s'entendre, se disputer.

Watch three things: the pronoun changes with the subject (je me, tu te, nous nous), the passé composé always takes être, and body parts take the definite article — se laver les mains, never « laver ses mains ». Where Montréal and Lyon say it differently, it's in the note.

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All 40 cards

#	French	English	Example
1	s'appeler Literally "to call oneself". Formal: Comment vous appelez-vous ? Double l in je m'appelle, tu t'appelles, but nous nous appelons.	to be called, to be named	Comment tu t'appelles ? What's your name?
2	se lever Accent change: je me lève, tu te lèves, but nous nous levons, vous vous levez.	to get up, to stand up	Je me lève à sept heures tous les jours. I get up at seven every day.
3	se réveiller Réveiller quelqu'un = to wake someone else up. Le réveil = the alarm clock.	to wake up	Elle se réveille toujours avant son réveil. She always wakes up before her alarm.
4	se laver With body parts use the definite article: se laver les mains, not « laver ses mains ».	to wash (oneself)	Lave-toi les mains avant de manger. Wash your hands before eating.
5	se doucher "Prendre une douche" is just as common; in Québec you mostly hear "prendre sa douche".	to take a shower	Je me douche le soir, jamais le matin. I shower in the evening, never in the morning.
6	se brosser les dents Same pattern for hair: se brosser les cheveux. Note the definite article, not « ses dents ».	to brush one's teeth	Les enfants se brossent les dents avant de se coucher. The kids brush their teeth before going to bed.
7	s'habiller Opposite: se déshabiller (to get undressed). S'habiller en + colour/style.	to get dressed	Elle s'habille presque toujours en noir. She almost always dresses in black.
8	se raser Body part without a possessive: se raser la barbe, les jambes. Raser quelqu'un = to shave someone else.	to shave	Il ne se rase pas le week-end. He doesn't shave at the weekend.
9	se maquiller Maquiller quelqu'un = to do someone else's makeup. Le maquillage = makeup.	to put on makeup, to wear makeup	Ma sœur se maquille très peu en semaine. My sister wears very little makeup on weekdays.
10	se préparer Also se préparer à + infinitive = to get ready to do something.	to get ready	Donne-moi dix minutes, je me prépare. Give me ten minutes, I'm getting ready.
11	se coucher This is the normal verb for going to bed; "aller au lit" is mostly said to children.	to go to bed	On se couche tard le vendredi soir. We go to bed late on Friday nights.
12	s'endormir Conjugates like dormir: je m'endors, nous nous endormons. Don't confuse it with se coucher (getting into bed).	to fall asleep	Je m'endors devant la télé chaque soir. I fall asleep in front of the TV every evening.
13	se reposer For unwinding rather than resting, use se détendre (to relax).	to rest, to take a rest	Tu devrais te reposer un peu ce soir. You should rest a bit tonight.
14	s'asseoir Imperative: assieds-toi / asseyez-vous. In Québec "assis-toi" is very common in speech.	to sit down	Assieds-toi, il reste une place. Sit down, there's still a seat.
15	se dépêcher Se dépêcher de + infinitive: dépêche-toi de finir. Informal alternative: se grouiller.	to hurry (up)	Dépêche-toi, le bus arrive ! Hurry up, the bus is coming!
16	s'arrêter Past participle agrees: il s'est arrêté, elle s'est arrêtée. S'arrêter de + infinitive = to stop doing something.	to stop	La voiture s'est arrêtée devant l'école. The car stopped in front of the school.
17	se promener Accent change like se lever: je me promène, nous nous promenons. In Québec, "faire une marche" is the everyday way to say it.	to go for a walk, to stroll	On se promène souvent au bord du fleuve. We often go for a walk along the river.
18	se perdre Also figurative: je me perds dans ses explications (I get lost in his explanations).	to get lost	On s'est perdus dans le vieux quartier. We got lost in the old part of town.
19	se blesser Body part with au / à la: se blesser au dos, à la main.	to hurt oneself, to get injured	Il s'est blessé au genou en jouant. He hurt his knee while playing.
20	s'amuser "Amuse-toi bien !" / "Amusez-vous bien !" is the normal way to say "have fun!".	to have fun, to enjoy oneself	Les enfants s'amusent dans le jardin. The children are playing in the garden.
21	s'ennuyer S'ennuyer de quelqu'un = to miss someone; standard in Québec, rarer in France (there: manquer).	to be bored	Je m'ennuie, il n'y a rien à faire. I'm bored, there's nothing to do.
22	se sentir Followed by an adjective or adverb: se sentir mieux, se sentir seul(e). For physical sensations of others: sentir.	to feel	Je ne me sens pas très bien aujourd'hui. I don't feel very well today.
23	s'inquiéter Very frequent casual shortcut: "T'inquiète !" (= no worries) — spoken only.	to worry	Ne t'inquiète pas, tout va bien. Don't worry, everything's fine.
24	s'énerver Informal but not rude. Non-reflexive: ça m'énerve = that gets on my nerves.	to get annoyed, to lose one's temper	Il s'énerve vite quand on le contredit. He gets annoyed quickly when people contradict him.
25	se calmer "Calme-toi !" said to a person can sound sharp; "On se calme" is a softer way to say it.	to calm down	Il a mis dix minutes à se calmer. It took him ten minutes to calm down.
26	se plaindre Se plaindre de quelque chose. Conjugates like craindre: je me plains, nous nous plaignons.	to complain	Mon voisin se plaint du bruit chaque semaine. My neighbour complains about the noise every week.
27	s'excuser S'excuser de + noun/infinitive. In Québec "je m'excuse" is very common where France says "excuse-moi / je suis désolé".	to apologize	Il s'est excusé d'être arrivé en retard. He apologized for arriving late.
28	se souvenir de Always needs de. Conjugates like venir: je me souviens, nous nous souvenons.	to remember	Tu te souviens de son prénom ? Do you remember his first name?
29	se rappeler Takes a direct object, no de: se rappeler quelque chose (unlike se souvenir de). Double l: je me rappelle.	to remember, to recall	Je ne me rappelle plus son adresse. I can't remember her address anymore.
30	se demander Literally "to ask oneself". Followed by si or another question word.	to wonder	Je me demande s'il va venir. I wonder if he's going to come.
31	se tromper Se tromper de + noun (no article) = to get the wrong one: de train, de jour, de porte.	to be wrong, to make a mistake	Désolé, je me suis trompé de numéro. Sorry, I've got the wrong number.
32	se rendre compte de Use de + noun or que + clause. No agreement in the passé composé: elle s'est rendu compte.	to realize	Je me suis rendu compte que j'avais oublié les clés. I realized I had forgotten the keys.
33	s'occuper de "Je m'en occupe" = I'll take care of it. Also s'occuper des enfants (to look after the kids).	to take care of, to deal with	Je m'occupe des billets, toi du reste. I'll handle the tickets, you do the rest.
34	se débrouiller Informal and extremely common. Il se débrouille bien en anglais = his English is decent.	to manage, to get by, to cope	Merci, mais je me débrouille tout seul. Thanks, but I can manage on my own.
35	s'habituer à Followed by à + noun or à + infinitive: s'habituer à se lever tôt.	to get used to	On s'habitue vite au froid ici. You get used to the cold here quickly.
36	se mettre à Suggests a sudden start: elle s'est mise à rire. Followed by an infinitive or a noun (se mettre au sport).	to start (doing something)	Il s'est mis à pleuvoir vers midi. It started raining around noon.
37	se rencontrer Reciprocal. For one person meeting another, use rencontrer quelqu'un. For an arranged meeting: se retrouver.	to meet (each other)	Nous nous sommes rencontrés à l'université. We met at university.
38	s'entendre avec Literally "to hear each other". Ils ne s'entendent plus = they don't get along anymore.	to get along with	Je m'entends bien avec mes collègues. I get along well with my colleagues.
39	se disputer Reciprocal; se disputer avec quelqu'un. In Québec, "se chicaner" is the everyday equivalent.	to argue, to have a row	Ils se disputent pour des bêtises. They argue over silly things.
40	se marier Se marier avec quelqu'un in everyday French (not « à »). Épouser quelqu'un is more formal.	to get married	Ils se marient en juin. They're getting married in June.

Théo Marchand

Native French · Speaks English, Spanish

Born in Lyon, living in Montréal. I write the phrases the way people actually say them on both sides of the Atlantic and mark the difference when it matters.

Published 17 Sept 2026

Questions about this deck

Why do French reflexive verbs use être in the passé composé?: Every pronominal verb takes être, with no exceptions: je me suis levé, on s'est perdus, elle s'est arrêtée. The participle normally agrees with the subject, but not when a direct object follows the verb: elle s'est lavé les mains, il s'est rendu compte de son erreur.
What is the difference between se souvenir and se rappeler?: The meaning is the same, the grammar is not. Se souvenir needs de: je me souviens de ce jour. Se rappeler takes a direct object: je me rappelle ce jour. You will hear "je me rappelle de" constantly in speech on both sides of the Atlantic, but avoid it in writing and in exams.
How do I use reflexive verbs in the negative and in commands?: In the negative, ne … pas wraps around the pronoun and the verb: je ne me lève pas tôt, il ne s'est pas excusé. In the affirmative imperative the pronoun comes after the verb and te becomes toi: dépêche-toi, assieds-toi, lave-toi les mains. In the negative imperative it goes back in front: ne te dépêche pas.
Are these reflexive verbs the same in Québec and in France?: All 40 verbs here work everywhere. A few habits differ: in Québec se chicaner often replaces se disputer, faire une marche replaces se promener, prendre sa douche is more frequent than se doucher, je m'excuse is the standard apology, and s'ennuyer de quelqu'un (to miss someone) is far more common than in France.

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French Reflexive Verbs: 40 Essentials for A2

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