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How to use reflexive verbs in German?

By: Joachim Noob Thu Jun 05 2025
German
Pronouns, Verbs, Sentence Structure

In German, we use reflexive verbs to describe actions you do to yourself. The subject of a reflexive verb is also its object. The object of a German reflexive verb will always be a reflexive pronoun (e.g. “itself,” “ourselves,” etc.), and it can either be in the accusative case or the dative case, depending on the verb you use.

subjectreflexive verbreflexive pronoun (accusative)

Andrea und Veronika schminken sich, bevor sie ins Konzert gehen.

Andrea and Veronika put make-up on (themselves) before going to the concert.

→ Sometimes you’ll need to use reflexive pronouns in German sentences even though it is not required in English!

In this post, we’ll talk about when you should use reflexive verbs in German, introduce the forms of the reflexive pronouns, and discuss how to use reflexive verbs in different tenses and sentence types. Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

    What is a reflexive verb in German?

    In German, a reflexive verb is a verb for which the subject and object are the same. Much like in English, German reflexive verbs look just like normal verbs, but their object is a reflexive pronoun like mich(myself) or dich(yourself).

    reflexive verbreflexive pronoun

    Ich habe mich im Spiegel gesehen.

    I saw myself in the mirror.

    However, though there are some similarities between reflexive verbs in German and English, there are also some major differences.

    • Difference 1: Which verbs require reflexive pronouns

      Many self-directed actions that do not require a reflexive pronoun in English will require a reflexive pronoun in German. For example, many verbs of self-care require a reflexive pronoun where it is not required in English:

      reflexive pronoun

      ✅ Ich wasche mich.
      ❌ Ich wasche.

      I wash (myself).

      ✅ Thomas rasiert sich.
      ❌ Thomas rasiert.

      Thomas shaves (himself).

      Whenever the verbs above are self-directed, they must be used with a reflexive pronoun. Just like in English, though, these verbs do not always need to be self-directed. It’s fine to say, Ich wasche dich(I wash you)!

      Keep reading for some more examples of German verbs that must be used with a reflexive pronoun!

    • Difference 2: Reflexive pronouns in the accusative vs. dative case

      Each German reflexive pronoun has two different forms: an accusative form and a dative form. In general:

      • The accusative is used if the verb affects the whole of the subject.

        accusative case

        Du ziehst dich an.

        You are getting dressed.

        lit. You dress yourself.

      • The dative is used if the verb directly affects only a part of the subject, like a body part or article of clothing. While the specific part will be in the accusative, the reflexive pronoun is dative.

        dative caseaccusative case

        Du ziehst dir den Mantel an.

        You are putting your coat on.

        lit. You put on a coat to yourself.

      Here’s another helpful example of this:

      dative casereflexive pronoun

      Ich wasche mich.

      I wash (myself).

      Ich wasche mir das Gesicht.

      I am washing my face.

      Important

      Take note of the difference between German and English here! In English, you would say “I wash my hands,” using a possessive adjective, but in German, you would say Ich wasche mir die Hände, literally “I wash the hands to myself.”

    What are the forms of the reflexive pronouns in German?

    Below you can see the accusative and dative forms of the reflexive pronouns in German:

    German Reflexive Pronouns
    Subject
    Accusative
    Dative

    ich

    I

    mich

    mir

    du

    you

    dich

    dir

    er, sie, es

    he, she, it

    sich

    sich

    wir

    we

    uns

    uns

    ihr

    you (all)

    euch

    euch

    sie

    they

    sich

    sich

    Sie

    you (formal)

    sich

    sich

    Two things to notice:

    • You don’t need to capitalize the reflexive pronoun that corresponds to the formal you (Sie).

    • You’ll only need to remember whether you’re using the dative or the accusative when the subject is ich or du. In all the other situations, the accusative and dative look the same!

    What are other frequently used reflexive verbs in German?

    In the list below you will find some other German reflexive verbs that often trip up learners of German. When these verbs are self-directed, they are always used with reflexive pronouns, even when that’s not the case in English. You’ll probably want to memorize this list:

    Reflexive Verb
    Example

    sich erkälten

    to catch a cold

    Thomas hat sich gestern erkältet.

    Thomas caught a cold yesterday.

    sich ärgern

    to be mad about

    Wir ärgern uns über das schlechte Wetter.

    We are mad about the bad weather.

    sich erinnern

    to remember

    Andrea erinnert sich an ihre letzte Reise.

    Andrea remembers her last trip.

    sich freuen auf

    to look forward to

    Sie freuen sich auf die Frühlingsferien.

    They look forward to spring break.

    sich freuen über

    to be happy about

    Ich freue mich über die Geburtstagsgeschenke.

    I am happy about the birthday presents.

    sich vorstellen*

    to introduce oneself

    → with an accusative pronoun

    Ihr stellt euch den Leuten vor.

    You introduce yourselves to the people.

    sich vorstellen*

    to imagine

    → with a dative pronoun

    Ich stelle mir vor, dass morgen die Sonne scheint.

    I imagine that the sun will shine tomorrow.

    sich interessieren (für)

    to be interested in

    Ich habe mich schon immer für Literatur interessiert.

    I have always been interested in literature.

    sich verlieben

    to fall in love

    Sie haben nicht gedacht, dass Thomas sich in Marianne verlieben wird.

    They did not think that Thomas would fall in love with Marianne.

    * The verb sich vorstellen has two entries. If it’s followed by an accusative reflexive pronoun it means “to introduce oneself” and if it’s followed by a dative reflexive pronoun it means “to imagine.”

    How to use reflexive verbs in different tenses and sentence types?

    Reflexive verbs can be used in various tenses and sentence types. Though the verb is conjugated just like a non-reflexive verb, you’ll want to pay close attention to the word order and, in particular, the placement of the reflexive pronoun in each type of sentence.

    • In a statement, the reflexive pronoun usually comes after the conjugated verb.

      subjectconjugated verbreflexive pronoun

      Martin putzt sich jeden Morgen nach dem Frühstück die Zähne.

      Every morning, Martin brushes his teeth after breakfast.

      → In a simple tense, the main verb is the conjugated verb.

      Wir hatten uns das anders vorgestellt.

      We had imagined this in a different way.

      → In a compound tense, the auxiliary verb is the conjugated verb.

      But in a subordinate clause, where the conjugated verb is always at the end, the reflexive pronoun follows the subject instead:

      subjectreflexive pronounconjugated verb

      Sie sagte, dass sie sich angezogen habe.

      She said that she had gotten dressed.

    • In a yes-no question, the reflexive pronoun usually follows the subject instead.

      conjugated verbsubjectreflexive pronoun

      Freut ihr euch auf den Sommer?

      Are you looking forward to summer?

      Hast du dich schon gewaschen?

      Have you washed yet?

    • In an informal command, the reflexive pronoun follows the imperative verb.

      imperative verbreflexive pronoun

      Schau dich nicht immer im Spiegel an!

      Don’t look at yourself in the mirror all the time!

      Fürchtet euch nicht, wenn ihr alleine zu Hause seid!

      Don’t be afraid when you are home alone!

      But in a formal command, it usually follows the subject instead.

      imperative verbsubjectreflexive pronoun

      Beeilen Sie sich!

      Hurry up!

    • Reflexive verbs in the subjunctive II follow the same rules as statements. The reflexive pronoun follows the conjugated verb in a main clause and follows the subject in a subordinate clause.

      subjectconjugated verb (subjunctive II)reflexive pronoun

      Ich hätte mich nicht erkältet, wenn ich mir den Mantel angezogen hätte.

      I wouldn’t have caught a cold, if I had put on my coat.

      → main clause

      Wenn ich mich nicht erkältet hätte, wäre ich auf die Party gegangen.

      If I hadn’t caught a cold, I would have gone to the party.

      → subordinate clause

    The middle voice: Using German reflexive verbs like passives

    Though the main function of German reflexive verbs is to express self-directed actions, they can also be used in a construction called the middle voice.

    The middle voice is used a lot like the passive voice, in that the subject isn’t actively doing anything, but is instead affected by the action of the verb. But unlike the passive voice, we don’t use a passive verb or sentence structure. Here’s an example of this contrast in English:

    • Passive voice: The essay is being read (by John).

    • Middle voice: This essay reads well.

    In German, the middle voice is expressed by using reflexive verbs! Usually, in these cases, the subject is a non-living noun, and you are assessing the ease or manner in which it can be affected by a verb.

    verbreflexive pronoun

    Das Hemd bügelt sich gut.

    The shirt irons well.

    lit. The shirt irons itself well.

    Diese italienischen Anzüge verkaufen sich schnell!

    These Italian suits are selling fast!

    lit. These Italian suits sell themselves fast!

    Das neue Buch dieses britischen Autors liest sich leicht.

    The new book of this British author is easy to read.

    lit. The new book of this British author reads itself easily.

    You’ll see this especially often with the verb lassen(to let):

    verbreflexive pronoun

    Das lässt sich machen.

    This can be done.

    lit. This lets itself be done.

    Die Tür lässt sich nicht öffnen.

    The door cannot be opened.

    lit. The door does not let itself be opened.

    Hier lässt es sich ziemlich gut leben.

    One can live quite well here.

    lit. Here it lets itself live quite well.

    Check out our post on the uses of lassen in German to learn more about this last use!

    Summary

    In this post, we discussed German reflexive verbs:

    • Reflexive verbs are conjugated like normal verbs, but they come with a reflexive pronoun to indicate that the action of the verb refers back to the doer of the action.

    • With a few exceptions, the reflexive pronoun is in the accusative case when there is no other object and is in the dative case when there is already an accusative object.

    • Some German self-directed verbs require reflexive pronouns, though their English counterparts do not.

    • Reflexive verbs are occasionally used to express the middle voice (e.g. “This car drives (itself) fast”)

    Fühlen Sie sich nun ausreichend vorbereitet, reflexive Verben im Deutschen zu benutzen?

    Do you feel confident at this point with using the German reflexives?

    Let’s find out! Test your skills with these German reflexive verb exercises!

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