Reflexive verbs are actions that loop right back to the person doing them. They are like a mirror: whatever action you take, you are doing it to yourself or whatever action he takes, he is doing it to himself etc.
This first part on reflexive verbs will look at, to quote a peer, “who’s doing the doing” (thanks Debbie!).
Take the well-known reflexive verb: chiamarsi. When we learn, my name is, we are using a reflexive verb, Mi chiamo, I call myself.
The table shows the literal translation of these common phrases used with chiamarsi, as well as the English translations.
| Italian | Literal Translation | English Translation |
| Come ti chiami? | How do you call yourself? | What are you called? What is your name? |
| Mi chiamo Elizabeth | Myself, I call Elizabeth. | I am called Elizabeth. My name is Elizabeth. |
| Ho un figlio che si chiama Oscar. | I have a son who calls himself Oscar. | I have a son who is called Oscar. I have a son named Oscar. |
The reflexive verb consists of two parts. For example:
| The reflexive pronoun | Conjugated verb |
| Mi | chiamo |
Here is the full list for the reflexive verb Chiamarsi:
| Italian | Literal translation | Actual translation |
| Mi chiamo | Myself I call… | I am called… |
| Ti chiami | Yourself, you call.. | You are called… |
| Si chiama | Him/Herself he/she calls… | He/She is called… |
| Ci chiamiamo | Ourselves/Each other we call… | We are called… |
| Vi chiamate | Yourselves, you call… | You (plural) are called… |
| Si chiamano | Themselves, they call… | They are called… |
The reflexive pronouns mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si show that the action comes back to the person doing it. In English, they can often be understood as “myself”, “yourself”, “himself/herself”, “ourselves”, “yourselves” or “themselves”.
Popular Daily Routine & Social Verbs
| Verb (Infinitive) | Literal Meaning | English Translation |
| Svegliarsi | To wake oneself up | To wake up |
| Alzarsi | To lift oneself up | To get up / stand up |
| Lavarsi | To wash oneself | To wash, have a wash |
| Farsi la doccia | To make oneself a shower | To have a shower |
| Pettinarsi | To comb oneself | To comb one’s hair |
| Vestirsi | To dress oneself | To get dressed |
| Prepararsi | To prepare oneself | To get ready |
| Riposarsi | To rest oneself | To rest / relax |
| Addormentarsi | To put oneself to sleep | To fall asleep |
| Vedersi | To see oneself / To see each other | To see oneself / To meet up |
Some Example Sentences:
| Mi sveglio alle 08:00. | I wake up at 8:00 AM. |
| Ti lavi prima di colazione? | Do you wash yourself before breakfast? |
| Mio figlio si veste per la scuola. | My son gets dressed for school. |
| Ci vediamo al bar alle 11:00. | We’ll meet up at the café at 11:00. |
| Vi preparate per la festa? | Are you all getting ready for the party? |
| I gatti si riposano sul letto. | The cats are resting on the bed. |
Part 2 of Reflexive verbs will look at the difference between using a verb reflexively and using the same action on someone or something else — for example, “I wake myself up” compared with “I wake up my son.”
Part 3 of Reflexive verbs will explore direct object pronouns. This will help construct sentences like, I wake him up, or He wakes me up.
Writing Practice – La giornata di Elizabeth.
La mattina mi sveglio presto perché a mio figlio piace alzarsi alle 06:00. A volte mi sveglia perché mi dimentico di mettere la sveglia. Preparo la colazione e poi guardiamo la TV. Alle 08:00 si veste per la scuola. Va a scuola alle 08:15. Di solito mi lavo e mi vesto alle 08:30, ma a volte aspetto fino a mezzogiorno perché lavoro da casa. Quindi, perché no? Quando lavoro, non pranzo. Ogni ora mi alzo perché lavoro al computer. Preparo la cena alle 17:00. La sera voglio riposarmi, ma è difficile con un figlio di dieci anni.
English Translation:
In the morning, I wake up early because my son likes waking up at 6:00 am. Sometimes he wakes me up because I forget to set my alarm. I make breakfast and then we watch TV. At 8:00 am, he gets dressed for school. He goes to school at 8:15 am. Usually, I wash and get dressed at 8:30 am, but sometimes I wait until midday because I work from home. So, why not? When I’m working, I don’t have lunch. Every hour, I get up because I work at a computer. I make dinner at 5:00 pm. In the evening, I want to rest, but it is difficult with a ten-year-old son.