Reflexive Verbs: Daily Routine

Why this matters

Reflexive verbs are the key to describing daily routines — and French has many of them. Waking up, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, going to bed — all of these are reflexive in French. Once you understand the pattern, you can describe your entire day. And you'll need to, because talking about your daily life is one of the most frequent conversation topics.

🦝 Remy says: "Reflexive verbs are called that because the action reflects back on the subject — you do it to yourself. Je me lève — I get (myself) up. Once you see that logic, the whole system makes perfect sense!"

What Makes a Verb Reflexive?

Reflexive verbs have a reflexive pronoun between the subject and verb:

| Subject | Reflexive pronoun | |

|

| | je | me (m' before vowel) | | tu | te (t' before vowel) | | il/elle/on | se (s' before vowel) | | nous | nous | | vous | vous | | ils/elles | se |

Pattern: Subject + reflexive pronoun + verb

Morning Routine Reflexive Verbs

| Infinitive | Meaning | Example | |

|

|

| | se réveiller | to wake up | Je me réveille à 7h. = I wake up at 7. | | se lever | to get up | Tu te lèves quand ? = When do you get up? | | se laver | to wash (oneself) | Il se lave les mains. = He washes his hands. | | se doucher | to shower | Elle se douche le matin. = She showers in the morning. | | se brosser les dents | to brush one's teeth | Je me brosse les dents. = I brush my teeth. | | se raser | to shave | Il se rase chaque matin. = He shaves every morning. | | se maquiller | to put on makeup | Elle se maquille rapidement. = She puts on makeup quickly. | | se coiffer | to do one's hair | Tu te coiffes bien ! = You style your hair nicely! | | s'habiller | to get dressed | Nous nous habillons. = We get dressed. | | se préparer | to get ready | Il se prépare en 10 minutes. = He gets ready in 10 minutes. |

Full Conjugation: Se Lever

| Pronoun | Full form | Pronunciation | |

|

--|

--| | je | je me lève | [zhuh muh lehv] | | tu | tu te lèves | [tü tuh lehv] | | il/elle | il se lève | [eel suh lehv] | | nous | nous nous levons | [noo noo luh-vohn] | | vous | vous vous levez | [voo voo luh-vay] | | ils/elles | ils se lèvent | [eel suh lehv] |

🦝 Remy's memory trick: "Notice that nous nous and vous vous look doubled up — that's not a typo! The first one is the subject pronoun, the second is the reflexive pronoun. Say it fast and it sounds totally natural: 'noo noo luh-vohn.' Like a little rhythm!"

Negation with Reflexive Verbs

In negation, ne goes before the reflexive pronoun:

• Je ne me lève pas tôt. = I don't get up early.
• Elle ne se maquille pas le week-end. = She doesn't wear makeup on weekends.
• Ils ne se préparent jamais rapidement. = They never get ready quickly.

📝 Exercise 1 — Conjugate

Conjugate the reflexive verb for the given subject.

1. Je ________ (se réveiller) à 6h30.
2. Tu ________ (se doucher) le soir ?
3. Elle ________ (se maquiller) pour le travail.
4. Nous ________ (s'habiller) rapidement.
5. Ils ________ (se lever) tôt le matin.

✅ Answers:

1. me réveille
2. te douches
3. se maquille
4. nous habillons
5. se lèvent

📝 Exercise 2 — Describe the routine

Write a sentence for each prompt.

1. (He / shower / every morning) → ___
2. (She / brush her teeth / after breakfast) → ___
3. (We / not / get up / before 8) → ___
4. (I / get ready / in 20 minutes) → ___

✅ Model answers:

1. Il se douche chaque matin.
2. Elle se brosse les dents après le petit-déjeuner.
3. Nous ne nous levons pas avant 8h.
4. Je me prépare en 20 minutes.

📝 Exercise 3 — Translate

1. I wake up at 6 every day. → ___
2. She gets dressed very quickly. → ___
3. Do you (tu) shave every morning? → ___
4. They (m.) get up late on weekends. → ___
5. We get ready together. → ___

✅ Answers:

1. Je me réveille à 6h tous les jours.
2. Elle s'habille très rapidement.
3. Tu te rases tous les matins ?
4. Ils se lèvent tard le week-end.
5. Nous nous préparons ensemble.

🎯 Today's challenge

Write out your complete morning routine in French — from waking up to leaving the house. Use at least 6 reflexive verbs and include time expressions (à 7h, après, ensuite, enfin...).

⭐ Key takeaways

• Reflexive verbs always have a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) before the verb.
• In negation: ne goes before the reflexive pronoun — Je ne me lève pas.
• Key morning routine reflexives: se réveiller, se lever, se doucher, se brosser les dents, s'habiller, se préparer.