Italian Reflexive Verbs - I Verbi Riflessivi

What is an Italian reflexive verb (verbo riflessivo)? This can often be a strange topic because, in English, verbs arent often thought of as being reflexive, however, in Italian, a reflexive verb is one when the action carried out by the subject is performed on the same subject. So for example, â€Å"I wash myself† or â€Å"I sit myself in the chair†. The subject, â€Å"I†, am doing the washing and the sitting. It’s important to know that not all verbs are reflexive, but there are plenty out there and each must be memorized. What Does a Reflexive Verb Look Like? In order to make an Italian verb reflexive, drop the -e of its infinitive ending and add the pronoun si. For example, pettinare (to comb) becomes pettinarsi (to comb oneself) in the reflexive. Si is an additional pronoun, known as the reflexive pronoun, which is needed when conjugating reflexive verbs. Note that some reflexive verbs can be used without the reflexive pronouns. In this case, their meaning changes: - Alzarsi to wake up/to get up Tu ti alzi. (You get up.) Tu alzi la sedia. (You lift the chair.) How Do You Conjugate Reflexive Verbs? Here are some tables of verbs in the present tense so you can get an idea of how reflexive verbs are conjugated. Innamorarsi - To fall in love Mi innamoro - I fall in love Ci innamoriamo - We fall in love Ti innamori - You fall in love Vi innamorate - You (all) fall in love Si innamora - He/she falls in love Si innamorano - They fall in love Sedersi - To sit oneself/To take a seat Mi siedo - I sit (myself) Ci sediamo - We sit (ourselves) Ti siedi - You sit (yourself) Vi sedete - You (all) sit (yourselves) Si siede - He/she sits (him/herself) Si siedono - They sit (themselves) Divertirsi - To enjoy oneself/to have fun Mi diverto - I have fun Ci divertiamo - We have fun Ti diverti - You have fun Vi divertite - You (all) have fun Si diverte - He/she has fun Si divertono - They have fun What About With the Past Tense? When you conjugate reflexive verbs in the past tense, you must use â€Å"essere† as your auxiliary verb. Here’s an example using the verb â€Å"svegliarsi - to wake up†. Svegliarsi - To wake up Mi sono svegliato/a - I woke up Ci siamo svegliati/e - We woke up Ti sei svegliato/a - You woke up Vi siete svegliati/e - You all woke up Si svegliato/a - He/she woke up Si sono svegliati/e - They woke up Notice how the last letter of â€Å"svegliato† changes. That’s because the ending must agree in gender and number with the subject. A List of Common Reflexive Verbs in Italian accorgersi (di) to notice addormentarsi to fall asleep to get up arrabbiarsi to get angry chiamarsi to be named to cover oneself divertirsi to have fun, to enjoy oneself farsi il bagno to bathe oneself farsi la doccia to take a shower farsi male to get hurt, hurt oneself innamorarsi (di) to fall in love with lavarsi to wash oneself laurearsi to graduate mettersi to put (clothing) on pettinarsi to comb ones hair radersi to shave sedersi to sit down sentirsi to feel to undress sposarsi (con) to get married svegliarsi to wake up vestirsi to get dressed Esempi Le ragazze si sono sedute. - The girls are sitting down.Sto cercando un posto dove sedermi un attimo. - I’m looking for a spot where I can sit for a while.Ci siamo innamorati due anni fa e ci siamo sposati un anno fa. - We fell in love two years and we got married one year ago.Mi sono svegliato/a alle 7. - I woke up at 7.Marco fa sempre molta fatica a svegliarsi la mattina. - Marco always has to struggle to wake up in the morning.Chiara impiega tantissimo tempo a vestirsi! - Chiara takes a very long time to get dressed!Tutti a lavarsi le mani prima di pranzo! - Everybody wash your hands before lunch!Mykonos à ¨ un posto ideale per divertirsi. - Mykonos is the perfect destination to have fun.Mio padre mi ha insegnato a radermi. - My dad taught me how to shave.Per avere una bella pella bisogna sempre struccarsi prima di andare a letto. - In order to maintain a good skin you always have to take your makeup off before going to bed.Mi sono laureata un anno fa. - I graduated one ye ar ago.Ho proprio bisogno di farmi un bagno! - I really need to take a hot bath!Copriti bene che fuori fa freddo! - Cover yourself up because it’s cold outside!Non ho capito come ha fatto a farsi male. - I didn’t understand how he managed to hurt himself.