Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs (reflexive Verben) are verbs where the subject and the object of the action are the same person or thing. In other words, the action "reflects back" on the subject.

Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself.)

In German, reflexive verbs are always accompanied by a reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, etc.) that corresponds to the subject.

Reflexive Pronouns

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Reflexive pronouns can be in the accusative or dative case, depending on their function in the sentence.

Accusative Reflexive Pronouns

Use accusative reflexive pronouns when there is no other direct object in the sentence.

Subject Pronoun	Accusative Reflexive	Example	Translation
ich	mich	Ich wasche mich.	I wash myself.
du	dich	Du kämmst dich.	You comb yourself.
er/sie/es	sich	Er rasiert sich.	He shaves himself.
wir	uns	Wir freuen uns.	We are happy.
ihr	euch	Ihr beeilt euch.	You hurry up.
sie/Sie	sich	Sie setzen sich.	They sit down.

Dative Reflexive Pronouns

Use dative reflexive pronouns when there is another direct object (accusative) in the sentence.

Subject Pronoun	Dative Reflexive	Example	Translation
ich	mir	Ich wasche mir die Hände.	I wash my hands.
du	dir	Du putzt dir die Zähne.	You brush your teeth.
er/sie/es	sich	Sie kämmt sich die Haare.	She combs her hair.
wir	uns	Wir kaufen uns ein Auto.	We buy ourselves a car.
ihr	euch	Ihr holt euch etwas zu trinken.	You get yourselves something to drink.
sie/Sie	sich	Sie machen sich Sorgen.	They worry.

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Note: For ich and du, the reflexive pronouns are different in accusative and dative. For all other subject pronouns (er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie), the forms are the same in both cases.

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When to Use Accusative vs. Dative Reflexive Pronouns:

If the sentence has another accusative object (usually a body part or possession), use the dative reflexive pronoun. If not, use the accusative reflexive pronoun!

Types of Reflexive Verbs

True Reflexive Verbs

True reflexive verbs exist only in the reflexive form and always require a reflexive pronoun. They cannot be used without the reflexive pronoun.

German Verb	English Translation	Example Sentence	Translation
sich freuen	to be happy/pleased	Ich freue mich auf die Ferien.	I'm looking forward to the holidays.
sich beeilen	to hurry	Wir beeilen uns.	We're hurrying.

For example, beeilen cannot exist without the reflexive pronoun in standard German.

❌ Ich beeile. (This is grammatically incorrect)

False Reflexive Verbs

False reflexive verbs can be used both reflexively and non-reflexively. When used reflexively, the subject performs the action on itself. When used non-reflexively, the subject performs the action on someone or something else.

German Verb	Reflexive Example	Non-Reflexive Example
waschen (to wash)	Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself.)	Ich wasche das Auto. (I wash the car.)
treffen (to meet)	Wir treffen uns. (We meet each other.)	Wir treffen den Chef. (We meet the boss.)

Conjugation

Past Tense (Perfekt)

All reflexive verbs use haben as their auxiliary verb in the perfect tense, never sein.

Ich habe mich gefreut. (I was happy.)

Wir haben uns gewaschen. (We washed ourselves.)

Future Tense

Ich werde mich freuen. (I will be happy.)

Wir werden uns morgen treffen. (We will meet tomorrow.)

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Refer to the article on reflexive pronouns to recap the position rules in sentences.

Reciprocal Use

Reflexive pronouns can also express reciprocal actions (each other) when used with plural subjects:

German Sentence	English Translation
Wir treffen uns morgen.	We meet each other tomorrow.
Ihr kennt euch schon lange.	You have known each other for a long time.

Reflexive Verbs + Prepositions

Many reflexive verbs are used with specific prepositions:

Reflexive Verb + Preposition	English Translation	Example	Translation
sich freuen auf + Acc	to look forward to	Ich freue mich auf den Urlaub.	I'm looking forward to the vacation.
sich interessieren für + Acc	to be interested in	Er interessiert sich für Sport.	He's interested in sports.
sich beschäftigen mit + Dat	to occupy oneself with	Sie beschäftigt sich mit Literatur.	She occupies herself with literature.
sich unterhalten mit + Dat	to talk/chat with	Wir unterhalten uns mit den Nachbarn.	We chat with the neighbors.

The preposition determines the case of the following noun, and these verb-preposition combinations must be memorized together as fixed expressions. Refer to the section on Prepositions for more details.