Italian Reflexive Verbs
Italian reflexive verbs are verbs used with a reflexive pronoun, like svegliarsi (to wake up) and vestirsi (to get dressed), where the subject does the action to itself. They are essential for daily routines, feelings and introductions, as in mi chiamo Anna.
A reflexive verb describes an action that the subject does to itself. You can see it in the infinitive, which drops the final e and adds si: svegliare (to wake someone) becomes svegliarsi (to wake up), sedere becomes sedersi (to sit down), and vestire becomes vestirsi (to get dressed). English often uses get or a plain verb where Italian uses a reflexive: alzarsi is to get up, sposarsi is to get married, arrabbiarsi is to get angry, and chiamarsi is to be called.
To conjugate a reflexive verb, conjugate the base verb normally and add the reflexive pronoun that matches the subject: mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si. Svegliarsi gives mi sveglio, ti svegli, si sveglia, ci svegliamo, vi svegliate, si svegliano. With a conjugated verb, the pronoun goes in front, after non in negative sentences: non mi sveglio presto. With an infinitive, a gerund or an informal imperative, the pronoun attaches to the end: devo svegliarmi, svegliandomi, svegliati, svegliamoci, svegliatevi. The pronoun on the infinitive still changes with the subject, so you say vogliamo alzarci, not vogliamo alzarsi. With a modal verb you can also put it in front: mi devo svegliare.
Reflexive verbs always take essere in compound tenses, and the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number. A man says mi sono svegliato, a woman says mi sono svegliata, and a group says ci siamo svegliati (or ci siamo svegliate if they are all women). Essere stays even when the verb has a direct object: mi sono lavato le mani (I washed my hands).
In the plural, the same forms can also mean each other. This is the reciprocal use: ci vediamo domani (we will see each other tomorrow), Marco e Giulia si amano (Marco and Giulia love each other), and si sono sposati nel 2020 (they got married in 2020). Context tells you whether the meaning is reflexive or reciprocal. Many verbs exist in both a plain and a reflexive form with different meanings, such as chiamare (to call) and chiamarsi (to be called), or lavare (to wash something) and lavarsi (to wash yourself).
Model verb: svegliarsi
Svegliarsi is the reflexive form of svegliare, so its endings are the regular -ARE endings with a pronoun in front: mi sveglio, ci svegliamo, mi sveglierò. The i stays in the future because it is part of the gli spelling. In the compound tenses you see essere and agreement (mi sono svegliato/a, ci siamo svegliati/e). In the imperative the pronoun attaches to the tu, noi and voi forms (svegliati, svegliamoci, svegliatevi) but goes in front for Lei (si svegli). The negative tu form is non svegliarti or non ti svegliare, and the gerund is svegliandosi.
| io | mi sveglio |
|---|---|
| tu | ti svegli |
| lui / lei | si sveglia |
| noi | ci svegliamo |
| voi | vi svegliate |
| loro | si svegliano |
-ARSI
These verbs conjugate like parlare, with the pronoun in front: mi alzo, ti alzi, si alza, ci alziamo, vi alzate, si alzano. The spelling rules of -ARE verbs still apply, so arrabbiarsi and annoiarsi keep only one i in the tu form (ti arrabbi, ti annoi). The future uses -erò (mi riposerò, ci sposeremo), and the participle ends in -ato with agreement (si è addormentata, ci siamo lavati). Chiamarsi (mi chiamo Luca) is the reflexive form of chiamare (to call).
-ERSI
Sedersi is irregular in the present tense: the stem becomes sied- when it is stressed (mi siedo, ti siedi, si siede, si siedono) but stays sed- in ci sediamo and vi sedete. Its participle is seduto (mi sono seduta), and the tu imperative is siediti. Other -ersi verbs follow their base verbs, so mettersi gives mi metto and mi sono messo, and perdersi gives mi perdo and mi sono perso.
-IRSI
These verbs conjugate like dormire, with the pronoun in front: mi diverto, ti diverti, si diverte, ci divertiamo, vi divertite, si divertono. Vestirsi works the same way (mi vesto, si veste, vestiti), and the participle ends in -ito with agreement (ci siamo divertiti, si è vestita). A few -irsi verbs take -isc-, like trasferirsi (to move house): mi trasferisco, but ci trasferiamo.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the reflexive pronouns in Italian?
- The reflexive pronouns are mi (myself), ti (yourself), si (himself, herself, itself, and formal yourself), ci (ourselves), vi (yourselves) and si (themselves). Each one matches the subject: io mi alzo, noi ci alziamo, loro si alzano.
- Where does the reflexive pronoun go in Italian?
- Put it before a conjugated verb: mi vesto, non mi vesto. Attach it to an infinitive, a gerund or an informal imperative: devo vestirmi, vestendomi, vestiti. With modal verbs both orders are correct: mi devo vestire or devo vestirmi.
- Do reflexive verbs take essere or avere?
- Reflexive verbs always take essere in compound tenses, and the participle agrees with the subject: mi sono alzato, mi sono alzata, ci siamo alzati. This is true even when a direct object follows, as in mi sono lavato le mani.
- What is the difference between svegliare and svegliarsi?
- Svegliare means to wake someone else and takes avere: ho svegliato i bambini. Svegliarsi means to wake up yourself and takes essere: mi sono svegliato alle sette.
- Can Italian reflexive verbs mean each other?
- Yes. In the plural, a reflexive form can describe an action that people do to each other: ci vediamo domani (we will see each other tomorrow), si sono sposati (they married each other). This is called the reciprocal use.