Pronominal Verbs
There are two ways of using a verb which may change its meaning and
which usually have separate sub-entries within the entry for the verb
in a good dictionary. These are pronominal and impersonal
uses.
Introduction
A verb is used pronominally (and is called a pronominal verb) when
it is accompanied by an object pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous)
of the same person as the verb. Compare
the following pronominal and non pronominal uses:
Pronominal
|
Non Pronominal
|
Il se voit (dans le miroir)
He sees himself
(in the mirror)
|
Il voit
Il me voit
Il la voit
|
Les gens se parlent
People speak to each
other.
|
Les gens parlent
Ils me parlent
|
Nous nous aimons
We like each
other
|
Nous vous aimons
We like you
|
Note that if se is used, it necessarily indicates a pronominal
use. If me, te, nous or vous is used, the
form could be either pronominal (Je me connais) or non
pronominal (Il me connaît).
Forms
The conjugation of Simple Tenses
is relatively straightforward:
Present
|
Future
|
Je me regarde (I look at myself)
|
Je me regarderai (I will look at myself)
|
Tu te regardes
|
Tu te regarderas
|
Il / elle / on se regarde
|
Il / elle / on se regardera
|
Nous nous regardons
|
Nous nous regarderons
|
Vous vous regardez
|
Vous vous regarderez
|
Ills, elles se regardent
|
Ils, elles se regarderont
|
Interrogative
|
Negative
|
Se regarde-t-il? (Is he looking at himself?)
|
Ne se regarde-t-il pas? (Isn't he looking
at himself?)
|
Compound Tenses are all conjugated
with the Auxiliary verb être.
Present Perfect
|
Conditional Past
|
Il s'est regardé (He looked at
himself)
|
Il se serait regardé (He would
have looked at himself)
|
Elles se sont regardées
|
Elles se seraient regardées
|
Interrogative
|
Negative
|
S'est-il regardé? (Did he look
at himself?)
|
Ne s'est-il jamais regardé? (Has
he never looked at himself?)
|
Se sont-elles regardées?
|
Ne se sont-elles jamais regardées?
|
Finally, notice that when used in the infinitive, the verb keeps its
appropriate object pronoun.
Here is se dépêcher (to hurry up), used as
an infinitive:
Je dois me dépêcher.
Tu dois te dépêcher.
Elle doit se dépêcher.
Nous devons nous dépêcher.
Vous devez vous dépêcher.
Ils doivent se dépêcher.
Meaning
Meanings of Pronominal Verbs
1. Occasionally, the object pronoun means myself, himself, or each
other, etc.
Je me rase tous les matins.
I shave (myself) every morning.
Ils se sont souri.
They smiled at each other.
2. These cases are rare in written texts however. More common is the
use of the pronominal as a sort of Passive.
C'est un poisson qui se mange cru.
It's a fish that is eaten raw.
La colonne vertébrale du serpent se compose de petits os.
The snake's spine is made up of little bones.
Les trous qui se trouvent au-dessus de l'Antarctique.
The holes which are found above the Antarctic.
3. Another possibility is that the extra se changes the meaning of
the verb, either a little or a lot.
demander
|
to ask
|
se demander
|
to wonder
|
agir
|
to act
|
s'agir
|
to be about, to be a question of
|
aller
|
to go
|
s'en aller
|
to leave, go away
|
4. Or the pronominal form is used as an Intransitive
Verb in opposition to the simple form which is used as a Transitive
Verb. Compare:
La voiture s'arrête.
The car stops.
J'arrête ma voiture.
I stop my car.
Le corps entier du serpent se déplace vers l'avant.
The whole body of the snake moves forward.
Il a déplacé la table contre le mur.
He moved the table against the wall.
Une plaque s'accroche à l'endroit du sol où elle se
pose.
One plate grips the ground where it touches.
Nous accrochons le tableau au mur.
We hang the painting on the wall.
If you come across a pronominal verb in a text, you must look it up
under the simple form: demander (not se demander),
agir, aller. Then look for the separate
section, marked VPR or something similar, within the entry, usually
towards the end.
Pronominal verbs are extremely common in French.
Exercises
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