Reflexive verbs in passé composé: être + pronoun placement
The Passé Composé — Reflexive Verbs
Some French verbs always include a reflexive pronoun — these are the reflexive verbs (se laver, se coucher, etc.).
When using the past tense, all reflexive verbs use Être as the auxiliary.
The Big Idea: Mirror Actions
Reflexive verbs are often called “mirror verbs” because the action reflects back on the subject.
Example: you are doing the action to yourself — you wash yourself, you get yourself up, you go to bed yourself.
Structure: Where Does “Se” Go?
The reflexive pronoun stays before the auxiliary Être, like this:
Subject + reflexive pronoun + être (present) + past participle
Examples:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je me suis levé | I got up |
| Tu t’es lavé | You washed yourself |
| Il s’est couché | He went to bed |
| Nous nous sommes réveillés | We woke up |
| Vous vous êtes habillés | You got dressed |
| Elles se sont promenées | They went for a walk |
Key Points
- All reflexive verbs use Être in the passé composé.
- The reflexive pronoun comes before Être.
- The past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number (we’ll cover this in more detail later).
- Think of these verbs as mirror verbs — the subject acts on themselves.
Key Takeaways
- Reflexive verbs = verbs with se.
- Passé composé structure: subject + reflexive pronoun + Être + past participle.
- Examples: Je me suis levé, Tu t’es lavé, Elle s’est couchée.
- These verbs are extremely common in daily routines and self-care expressions.
In the app, you will find interactive exercises and quizzes tailored for this intermediate level.
Practice French conjugation for free in the Croissant Verbs app
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