What is a reflexive verb (verbo riflessivo)? A verb is reflexive when the action carried out by the subject is performed on the same subject. Not all verbs are reflexive. In order to make a 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.
The reflexive pronouns (i pronomi reflessivi), mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si, are identical in form to direct object pronouns, except for the third-person form si (which is the same in the singular and in the plural). The following table includes the reflexive pronouns in Italian.
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
PERSON
SINGULAR
PLURAL
I
mi (myself)
ci (ourselves)
II
ti (yourself)
vi (yourselves)
III
si (himself; herself; itself; yourself, formal)
si (themselves; yourselves, formal)
To see how reflexive pronouns work with verbs, see a sample conjugation of lavarsi (to wash oneself) in the table below.
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB LAVARSI (TO WASH ONESELF)
PERSON
SINGULAR
PLURAL
I
(io) mi lavo
(noi) ci laviamo
II
(tu) ti lavi
(voi) vi lavate
III
(lui, lei, Lei) si lava
(loro, Loro) si lavano
Just like direct object pronouns, reflexive pronouns are placed before a conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive. Note that the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject even when attached to the infinitive:
Mi alzo. (I'm getting up.)
Voglio alzarmi./Mi voglio alzare. (I want to get up.)
Mi, ti, si, and vi may drop the i before another vowel or an h and replace it with an apostrophe. Ci may drop the i only before another i or an e:
Voi v'arrabbiate facilmente. (You get angry easily.)
I ragazzi s'alzano alle sette. (The boys woke up at seven o'clock.)
A casa, m'annoio. (At home, I get bored.)
For a list of common reflexive verbs in Italian, see the following table.
COMMON REFLEXIVE VERBS
accorgersi (di)
to notice
addormentarsi
to fall asleep
alzarsi
to get up
arrabbiarsi
to get angry
chiamarsi
to be named
coprirsi
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 one's hair
radersi
to shave
sbarbarsi
to shave
sedersi
to sit down
sentirsi
to feel
spogliarsi
to undress
sposarsi (con)
to get married
svegliarsi
to wake up
vestirsi
to get dressed
Remember that some reflexive verbs can be used nonreflexively—without the reflexive pronouns. In this case, their meaning changes:
Tu ti alzi. (You get up.)
Tu alzi la sedia. (You lift the chair.)