Pronominal Verbs with Infinitives
8.5.1. The Main Idea
When a pronominal verb is used after another verb, the reflexive pronoun still changes to match the subject.
se coucher | to go to bed |
Je veux me coucher. | I want to go to bed. |
Tu dois te coucher. | You have to go to bed. |
Il va se coucher. | He is going to bed. |
Nous allons nous coucher. | We are going to bed. |
The first verb is conjugated.
The pronominal verb stays in the infinitive.
8.5.2. Reflexive Pronouns Review
me / m’ | myself |
te / t’ | yourself, informal |
se / s’ | himself / herself / itself |
nous | ourselves |
vous | yourself / yourselves |
se / s’ | themselves |
8.5.3. With Vouloir
Je veux me reposer. | I want to rest. |
Tu veux te coucher ? | Do you want to go to bed? |
Il veut se doucher. | He wants to shower. |
Elle veut s’habiller. | She wants to get dressed. |
Nous voulons nous amuser. | We want to have fun. |
Vous voulez vous reposer ? | Do you want to rest? formal or plural |
8.5.4. With Devoir
Je dois me lever tôt. | I have to get up early. |
Tu dois te coucher tôt. | You have to go to bed early. |
Il doit se laver. | He has to wash himself. |
Elle doit se reposer. | She has to rest. |
Nous devons nous habiller. | We have to get dressed. |
Vous devez vous réveiller à sept heures. | You have to wake up at seven. |
8.5.5. With Aller
Je vais me doucher. | I am going to shower. |
Tu vas te reposer ? | Are you going to rest? |
Il va se coucher. | He is going to bed. |
Elle va s’habiller. | She is going to get dressed. |
Nous allons nous amuser. | We are going to have fun. |
Vous allez vous lever tôt ? | Are you going to get up early? |
8.5.6. With Préférer
Je préfère me lever tard. | I prefer to get up late. |
Tu préfères te coucher tôt ? | Do you prefer to go to bed early? |
Il préfère se reposer le soir. | He prefers to rest in the evening. |
Elle préfère s’habiller en jean. | She prefers to dress in jeans. |
Nous préférons nous amuser le week-end. | We prefer to have fun on the weekend. |
Vous préférez vous réveiller tôt ? | Do you prefer to wake up early? |
8.5.7. Negative Sentences
Place ne… pas around the first conjugated verb. The reflexive pronoun stays before the infinitive.
Je ne veux pas me lever tôt. | I do not want to get up early. |
Tu ne dois pas te coucher tard. | You must not go to bed late. |
Il ne va pas se reposer. | He is not going to rest. |
Elle ne préfère pas s’habiller en robe. | She does not prefer to dress in a dress. |
Nous ne voulons pas nous coucher maintenant. | We do not want to go to bed now. |
8.5.8. Core Patterns
conjugated verb + reflexive pronoun + infinitive | Je veux me coucher. |
vouloir + reflexive pronoun + infinitive | Je veux me reposer. |
devoir + reflexive pronoun + infinitive | Tu dois te coucher. |
aller + reflexive pronoun + infinitive | Il va se lever. |
préférer + reflexive pronoun + infinitive | Nous préférons nous amuser. |
ne + conjugated verb + pas + reflexive pronoun + infinitive | Je ne veux pas me lever. |
8.5.9. Practice
I want to rest. |
You have to go to bed early. informal |
He is going to shower. |
She wants to get dressed. |
We are going to have fun. |
Do you prefer to wake up early? formal |
I do not want to get up early. |
He is not going to rest. |
8.5.10. Answers
I want to rest. | Je veux me reposer. |
You have to go to bed early. informal | Tu dois te coucher tôt. |
He is going to shower. | Il va se doucher. |
She wants to get dressed. | Elle veut s’habiller. |
We are going to have fun. | Nous allons nous amuser. |
Do you prefer to wake up early? formal | Vous préférez vous réveiller tôt ? |
I do not want to get up early. | Je ne veux pas me lever tôt. |
He is not going to rest. | Il ne va pas se reposer. |
8.5.11. Short Dialogue
A : Tu dois te coucher tôt ce soir ? | A: Do you have to go to bed early tonight? |
B : Oui, je dois me coucher tôt. Je veux me lever tôt demain. | B: Yes, I have to go to bed early. I want to get up early tomorrow. |
A : Tu vas te reposer maintenant ? | A: Are you going to rest now? |
B : Oui, je vais me reposer un peu. | B: Yes, I am going to rest a little. |
8.5.12. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use pronominal verbs after verbs like vouloir, devoir, aller, and préférer, and make the reflexive pronoun agree with the subject even when the pronominal verb stays in the infinitive.