Reflexive Verben (Reflexive Verbs)

What are Reflexive Verbs? (Reflexive Verben)

German Reflexive Verbs require an additional Reflexive Pronoun (Reflexivpronomen), which takes the Accusative or Dative case. The Reflexive Pronoun is related to the subject of the sentence.

Example:

True Reflexive Verbs

A True Reflexive Verbs is always Reflexive!

You can't replace or remove the Reflexive Pronoun.

You can't ask a question about the Reflexive Pronoun.

• „Ich konzentriere mich (auf den Unterricht).“

It is impossible to use „konzentrieren“ without the Reflexive Pronoun.

In the dictionary, these words are marked in the following way:

• „s. konzentrieren“, „sich konzentrieren“, „konzentrieren (ref.)“

These words might not be Reflexive in your own language, but the use of the Reflexive Pronoun in German is obligatory.

Partial Reflexive Verbs

You can ask a question about it.

Partial Reflexive Verbs can be used in a Reflexive or Non-Reflexive way. It depends on the situation.

The verb can also refer to an object instead of the subject and is then not Reflexive.

• „Ich wasche mich.“

(Reflexive since it refers to the Subject)

• „Ich wasche meine Hände.“

(It refers to the object „Hände“ and not to the Subject „ich“ ⇒ It's not Reflexive, so we don't use a Reflexive Pronoun.)

Reflexive Pronoun in Dative or Accusative?

Word Order:

In Main Sentence:

In Question:

In Subordinate Clause:

• „Ich dusche mich jetzt nicht,…“ – Main Clause

Only the verb goes to the end. The Reflexive Pronoun remains in Position 3.

With Modal and Auxiliary Verbs:

Only the main verb goes to the end. The Reflexive Pronoun is in Position 3, after the Modal verb or the Auxiliary Verb.