What are reflexive verbs and how do I use them?

A reflexive verb is a verb that describes an action you do to yourself. They are easy to recognise in German as they will always have sich before the infinitive. To form a reflexive verb, you must have a reflexive pronoun and then the verb which will conjugate as normal. 

For example 

sich rasieren - to shave 

Ich rasiere mich  - I shave (myself - this is implied in English and is not normally needed in the translation) 

Du rasierst dich - You shave 

Er/Sie/Man rasiert sich - He/She/One shaves 

Wir rasieren uns - We shave 

Ihr rasiert euch  - You (plural) shave 

Sie rasieren sich - You (formal)  shave 

Sie rasieren sich - They shave 

MH
Answered by Molly H. German tutor

1706 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Which of the following sentences correctly forms the perfect tense? a) Er hat ein Buch gelest. b) Letztes Jahr bin ich nach Berlin gefahren. c) Wir haben in die Schule gegangen.


I keep hearing about the 'subjunctive' - what is it? Do I need it? How do I recognise it?


Translate the following sentence into German: "My mom talks about the weather every day."


Please describe in a few sentences what you did today so far.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences