Talking About Daily Routines Using Pronominal Verbs
8.4.1. The Main Idea
Pronominal verbs are verbs used with a reflexive pronoun. They often describe things people do to or for themselves.
se réveiller | to wake up |
se lever | to get up |
se laver | to wash oneself |
se doucher | to shower |
s’habiller | to get dressed |
se coucher | to go to bed |
In English, we usually do not say “I wake myself up” or “I dress myself,” but French uses this structure often.
8.4.2. Reflexive Pronouns
me / m’ | myself |
te / t’ | yourself, informal |
se / s’ | himself / herself / itself |
nous | ourselves |
vous | yourself / yourselves, formal or plural |
se / s’ | themselves |
Before a vowel sound, me, te, and se become m’, t’, and s’.
8.4.3. Se Réveiller
je me réveille | I wake up |
tu te réveilles | you wake up |
il se réveille | he wakes up |
elle se réveille | she wakes up |
nous nous réveillons | we wake up |
vous vous réveillez | you wake up |
ils se réveillent | they wake up |
elles se réveillent | they wake up |
8.4.4. Se Lever
je me lève | I get up |
tu te lèves | you get up |
il se lève | he gets up |
elle se lève | she gets up |
nous nous levons | we get up |
vous vous levez | you get up |
ils se lèvent | they get up |
elles se lèvent | they get up |
8.4.5. S’habiller
je m’habille | I get dressed |
tu t’habilles | you get dressed |
il s’habille | he gets dressed |
elle s’habille | she gets dressed |
nous nous habillons | we get dressed |
vous vous habillez | you get dressed |
ils s’habillent | they get dressed |
elles s’habillent | they get dressed |
8.4.6. Common Daily Routine Verbs
se réveiller | to wake up |
se lever | to get up |
se laver | to wash oneself |
se doucher | to shower |
s’habiller | to get dressed |
se brosser les dents | to brush one’s teeth |
se coiffer | to do one’s hair |
se maquiller | to put on makeup |
se raser | to shave |
se reposer | to rest |
se coucher | to go to bed |
8.4.7. Daily Routine Examples
Le matin, je me réveille à sept heures. | In the morning, I wake up at seven. |
Ensuite, je me lève. | Then, I get up. |
Je me douche. | I shower. |
Je me brosse les dents. | I brush my teeth. |
Je m’habille. | I get dressed. |
Je vais à l’université. | I go to university. |
Le soir, je me repose. | In the evening, I rest. |
Je me couche à onze heures. | I go to bed at eleven. |
8.4.8. Questions About Daily Routine
Tu te réveilles à quelle heure ? | What time do you wake up? |
Tu te lèves à quelle heure ? | What time do you get up? |
Tu te couches à quelle heure ? | What time do you go to bed? |
Tu te douches le matin ? | Do you shower in the morning? |
Tu te reposes le soir ? | Do you rest in the evening? |
8.4.9. Negative Sentences
Place ne… pas around the reflexive pronoun and the verb.
Je me lève tôt. | I get up early. |
Je ne me lève pas tôt. | I do not get up early. |
Tu te couches tard. | You go to bed late. |
Tu ne te couches pas tard. | You do not go to bed late. |
Elle se repose le soir. | She rests in the evening. |
Elle ne se repose pas le soir. | She does not rest in the evening. |
8.4.10. Core Patterns
subject + reflexive pronoun + verb | daily routine action |
Je me réveille. | I wake up. |
Je me lève. | I get up. |
Je m’habille. | I get dressed. |
Je me couche. | I go to bed. |
ne + reflexive pronoun + verb + pas | negative form |
Je ne me lève pas tôt. | I do not get up early. |
8.4.11. Practice
I wake up at seven. |
I get up at seven thirty. |
I shower in the morning. |
I brush my teeth. |
I get dressed. |
I rest in the evening. |
I go to bed at eleven. |
What time do you wake up? |
I do not get up early. |
8.4.12. Answers
I wake up at seven. | Je me réveille à sept heures. |
I get up at seven thirty. | Je me lève à sept heures trente. |
I shower in the morning. | Je me douche le matin. |
I brush my teeth. | Je me brosse les dents. |
I get dressed. | Je m’habille. |
I rest in the evening. | Je me repose le soir. |
I go to bed at eleven. | Je me couche à onze heures. |
What time do you wake up? | Tu te réveilles à quelle heure ? |
I do not get up early. | Je ne me lève pas tôt. |
8.4.13. Short Dialogue
A : Tu te réveilles à quelle heure ? | A: What time do you wake up? |
B : Je me réveille à sept heures. Ensuite, je me lève et je me douche. | B: I wake up at seven. Then, I get up and shower. |
A : Et le soir ? | A: And in the evening? |
B : Le soir, je me repose et je me couche à onze heures. | B: In the evening, I rest and go to bed at eleven. |
8.4.14. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use common pronominal verbs for daily routines, such as se réveiller, se lever, se doucher, s’habiller, se brosser les dents, se reposer, and se coucher, and place the reflexive pronoun before the verb.