How do you say each other in French?

With the pronominal pronouns nous, vous, or se and a plural subject: nous nous écrivons, ils se voient. There is no separate word, so context carries the meaning. To be explicit, add l'un l'autre: ils se regardent l'un l'autre.

When does the participle of a reciprocal verb agree?

When the pronoun stands for a direct object. Se voir, se rencontrer, s'embrasser and se comprendre all agree: elles se sont vues. Verbs that take à before a person do not: se parler, s'écrire, se téléphoner, se dire, so elles se sont parlé stays flat.

How do I tell a reciprocal verb from a reflexive one?

Start with the subject. A singular subject can only be reflexive. With a plural subject, both readings exist, and context normally decides. When it does not, French disambiguates with l'un l'autre for each other and eux-mêmes for themselves.

Why is it ils se sont écrit and not écrits?

Because you write to someone: écrire à quelqu'un. The reciprocal se is therefore an indirect object, and indirect objects never trigger participle agreement. Add a direct object and it stays flat too: ils se sont écrit des lettres.

What does s'entraider mean?

To help one another. It belongs to a small group of verbs whose entre- prefix already means between them: s'entraider, s'entretuer, s'entrechoquer. Because the reciprocity is inside the verb, no l'un l'autre is needed.

French grammar · Intermediate

Reciprocal Verbs in French: Saying Each Other with Se

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

A reciprocal verb uses the pronouns nous, vous, or se to mean each other rather than oneself: nous nous écrivons means we write to one another. The subject has to be plural, and the past participle only agrees when that pronoun is a direct object, which is why ils se sont vus has an s and ils se sont parlé does not.

Ils se sont rencontrés à Lyon et ils se sont écrit pendant des années.

They met in Lyon and wrote to each other for years.

What it is

French does not have a separate word for each other. It reuses the reflexive pronouns, and lets the plural subject do the interpreting: if two or more people are involved, se can mean that the action travels between them rather than back onto each one individually.

Elles se téléphonent tous les jours. — They phone each other every day.

How to spot it

Two things have to be true: the subject is plural, and the action makes sense as an exchange. If either fails, the pronoun is reflexive rather than reciprocal.

Nous nous voyons chaque semaine. — We see each other every week.
Ils se sont embrassés sur le quai. — They kissed on the platform.
Vous vous connaissez déjà ? — Do you two already know each other?
Elles se sont dit la vérité. — They told each other the truth.

Because reciprocity needs at least two people, a singular subject can never produce it: elle se regarde can only mean she is looking at herself.

Reciprocal Verbs Quick Reference

Frequent reciprocal verbs and their agreement

Verb	Reciprocal meaning	Past participle
se voir	to see each other	agrees: elles se sont vues
se rencontrer	to meet each other	agrees: ils se sont rencontrés
s'embrasser	to kiss each other	agrees: ils se sont embrassés
se comprendre	to understand each other	agrees: nous nous sommes comprises
se parler	to talk to each other	no agreement: elles se sont parlé
s'écrire	to write to each other	no agreement: ils se sont écrit
se téléphoner	to phone each other	no agreement: elles se sont téléphoné
se ressembler	to look like each other	no agreement: ils se sont toujours ressemblé

Common Reciprocal Verbs Examples in French

Reciprocal verbs in the situations they describe:

Meeting, Seeing, Liking

Ils se sont rencontrés à la fac.: They met at university.
Nous nous voyons le mercredi.: We see each other on Wednesdays.
Elles s'aiment beaucoup.: They're very fond of each other.
On s'embrasse pour se dire bonjour.: We kiss to say hello.

These verbs take a direct object, so the participle agrees: ils se sont rencontrés, elles se sont aimées.

Talking and Writing

Ils se sont parlé pendant deux heures.: They talked to each other for two hours.
Nous nous sommes écrit tout l'été.: We wrote to each other all summer.
Elles se sont téléphoné hier soir.: They phoned each other last night.
On s'est dit au revoir devant la gare.: We said goodbye to each other outside the station.

Parler, écrire, téléphoner and dire all take à before a person, so the pronoun is indirect and nothing agrees.

Falling Out

Ils se sont disputés pour rien.: They argued over nothing.
Elles ne se parlent plus depuis janvier.: They haven't spoken to each other since January.
Ils se sont quittés au printemps.: They split up in the spring.
On s'est réconciliés la semaine dernière.: We made up last week.

Se quitter and se disputer are among the most common reciprocals in conversation, and both agree.

Spelling the Reciprocity Out

Ils se regardent l'un l'autre.: They're looking at each other.
Elles s'aident les unes les autres.: They help one another.
Ils ont besoin l'un de l'autre.: They need each other.
Elles pensent l'une à l'autre.: They think about each other.

L'un l'autre is added when the sentence would otherwise be ambiguous, or for emphasis.

How Reciprocal Verbs Work

Five rules, and the third is the one that decides how the sentence is spelled.

The Subject Must Be Plural

Only nous, vous, ils, elles, on meaning we, or a plural noun can produce reciprocity. There is nothing to exchange with a single subject.

Mes parents se comprennent très bien.

My parents understand each other very well.

No plural subject, no reciprocity.

The Same Form Can Be Reflexive Too

Ils se lavent could mean they wash themselves or they wash each other. Context settles almost every case, and where it does not, French adds l'un l'autre or eux-mêmes.

Ils se sont lavés eux-mêmes.

They washed themselves.

l'un l'autre = each other, eux-mêmes = themselves.

Agreement Follows the Underlying Preposition

Ask how the verb attaches to a person outside the pronominal form. Voir quelqu'un takes a direct object, so se sont vus agrees. Parler à quelqu'un takes an indirect one, so se sont parlé does not.

Elles se sont vues, puis elles se sont parlé.

They saw each other, then they talked to each other.

voir qqn → agrees. parler à qqn → doesn't.

A Direct Object After the Verb Blocks Agreement

If something else in the sentence is already the direct object, the participle cannot agree with the pronoun as well.

Ils se sont offert des cadeaux.

They gave each other presents.

Object present → participle flat.

Entre- Builds Reciprocity into the Verb

A few verbs carry the idea in their prefix: s'entraider, s'entretuer, s'entendre. They behave like any other pronominal verb but cannot be read reflexively.

Les voisins se sont entraidés après la tempête.

The neighbours helped one another after the storm.

entre- = between them.

Common Mistakes with Reciprocal Verbs

Incorrect: Nous nous sommes téléphonés hier. — We phoned each other yesterday.

Correct: Nous nous sommes téléphoné hier. — We phoned each other yesterday.

Téléphoner takes à before a person, so the reciprocal pronoun is an indirect object and the participle cannot agree with it.

Incorrect: Ils se sont rencontré à Paris. — They met in Paris.

Correct: Ils se sont rencontrés à Paris. — They met in Paris.

Rencontrer takes a direct object, so here the pronoun is direct and the participle agrees with the plural subject.

Incorrect: Nous rencontrons souvent au café. — We often meet at the café.

Correct: Nous nous rencontrons souvent au café. — We often meet at the café.

Without the pronoun, rencontrer needs a direct object: nous rencontrons quelqu'un. The reciprocal meaning only exists with nous nous.

Incorrect: Elle se rencontre avec son frère demain. — She's meeting her brother tomorrow.

Correct: Elle retrouve son frère demain. — She's meeting her brother tomorrow.

A singular subject cannot be reciprocal. For a planned meeting with one named person, French uses retrouver, or voir for something looser.

Making Reciprocity Explicit

Three ways to remove the ambiguity when the plain pronoun is not clear enough.

L'un l'autre and its forms

The phrase agrees with the people involved: l'un l'autre for two men or a mixed pair, l'une l'autre for two women, les uns les autres and les unes les autres for larger groups. If the verb needs a preposition, it slots in the middle.

Ils s'aident l'un l'autre.: They help each other.
Elles se soutiennent les unes les autres.: They support one another.
Ils ont confiance l'un en l'autre.: They trust each other.
Elles se sont écrit l'une à l'autre.: They wrote to one another.

The preposition that goes in the middle is whichever the verb requires: besoin l'un de l'autre, penser l'un à l'autre, confiance l'un en l'autre.

Mutuellement, réciproquement, entre eux

Adverbs offer a lighter alternative, and entre eux, entre elles, or entre nous places the action inside the group.

Ils s'accusent mutuellement.: They're accusing each other.
Ils se sont partagé le travail entre eux.: They divided the work among themselves.
Nous nous rendons service mutuellement.: We do each other favours.

Mutuellement is more formal than l'un l'autre and common in writing and journalism.

The entre- verbs

A small set of verbs has reciprocity built into the prefix, so no extra phrase is needed and no reflexive reading is available.

Les voisins se sont entraidés.: The neighbours helped each other.
Nous nous entendons très bien.: We get on very well.
Les deux clans se sont entretués.: The two clans killed each other off.

S'entendre has drifted away from its literal sense: it now means to get on with someone rather than to hear each other.

Reciprocal Verbs FAQs

How do you say each other in French?: With the pronominal pronouns nous, vous, or se and a plural subject: nous nous écrivons, ils se voient. There is no separate word, so context carries the meaning. To be explicit, add l'un l'autre: ils se regardent l'un l'autre.
When does the participle of a reciprocal verb agree?: When the pronoun stands for a direct object. Se voir, se rencontrer, s'embrasser and se comprendre all agree: elles se sont vues. Verbs that take à before a person do not: se parler, s'écrire, se téléphoner, se dire, so elles se sont parlé stays flat.
How do I tell a reciprocal verb from a reflexive one?: Start with the subject. A singular subject can only be reflexive. With a plural subject, both readings exist, and context normally decides. When it does not, French disambiguates with l'un l'autre for each other and eux-mêmes for themselves.
Why is it ils se sont écrit and not écrits?: Because you write to someone: écrire à quelqu'un. The reciprocal se is therefore an indirect object, and indirect objects never trigger participle agreement. Add a direct object and it stays flat too: ils se sont écrit des lettres.
What does s'entraider mean?: To help one another. It belongs to a small group of verbs whose entre- prefix already means between them: s'entraider, s'entretuer, s'entrechoquer. Because the reciprocity is inside the verb, no l'un l'autre is needed.