Italian reflexive pronouns are special words used when the subject of a sentence is also the object of the action. Think of them as mirrors reflecting the action back onto the doer!
Confused? Let’s clarify with an example:
- Tutte le sere, Giovanna pettina Greta prima di andare a dormire.( Every evening, Giovanna combs Greta’s hair before going to bed.)
Here, Giovanna is the subject (doing the combing) and Greta is the object (having her hair combed).
Now, if Giovanna combs her own hair, the sentence transforms into:
- Tutte le sere, Giovanna si pettina prima di andare a dormire(Every evening, Giovanna combs her own hair before going to bed).
Si is the reflexive pronoun here, showing that Giovanna is both the subject and the object of the combing action.
In the world of Italian pronouns, reflexive pronouns are part of the larger personal pronouns group. This group also includes subject pronouns (like io, tu), direct object pronouns (like lo, la), and indirect object pronouns (like mi, gli).
Additionally, reflexive pronouns are often used with reflexive verbs that typically describe personal care or daily routines, such as lavarsi (to wash oneself), vestirsi (to dress oneself), pettinarsi (to comb oneself), etc.
This guide will help you understand how to use reflexive pronouns correctly in various sentences, so your Italian sounds more fluent and authentic. To see how much you’ve learned, don’t forget to complete the free quiz at the end of this lesson to test your new-found knowledge!
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When you start learning Italian, it’s pretty common to keep repeating the same basic phrases and words, but if you’re gunning for fluency, it’s time to shake things up a bit. The key? Familiarize yourself with Italian pronouns to inject rhythm into your sentences!
Cominciamo! (Let’s get started!)
Italian Reflexive Pronouns Chart
| Italian Reflexive Pronouns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | English | ||
| Unstressed (Atonic) | Stressed (Tonic) | ||
| 1° person singular (masc./ fem.) | mi | me | myself |
| 2° person singular (masc./ fem.) | ti | te | yourself |
| 3° person singular (masc./ fem.) | si | sè | himself, herself, itself |
| 1° person plural (masc./ fem.) | ci | noi | ourselves |
| 2° person plural (masc./ fem.) | vi | voi | yourself |
| 3° person plural (masc./ fem.) | si | sè | themselves |
How to use Italian Reflexive Pronouns
Here’s a tip: to determine whether a personal pronoun is reflexive or not, simply check if it matches the subject of the sentence. For example:
- Io mi sveglio sempre alle 8.(I always wake up at 8am.)
Here, the pronoun mi is reflexive because it refers back to the subject io (I).
- Lei mi sveglia sempre alle 8. (She always wakes me up at 8am.)
In this case, the pronoun mi is not reflexive because it does not refer back to the subject lei (she).
Unstressed (atonic) reflexive pronouns in Italian
| Unstressed (Atonic) Reflexive Pronouns | ||
| Italian | English | |
| 1° person singular (masc./ fem.) | mi | myself |
| 2° person singular (masc./ fem.) | ti | yourself |
| 3° person singular (masc./ fem.) | si | himself, herself, itself |
| 1° person plural (masc./ fem.) | ci | ourselves |
| 2° person plural (masc./ fem.) | vi | yourself |
| 3° person plural (masc./ fem.) | si | themselves |
What they are: they indicate that the subject of the verb is also its object without carrying the emphasis in the sentence (e.g., io mi lavo – I wash myself).
Placement:
With indicative, subjunctive, and conditional tenses, they typically come before the verb:
- Indicative example: La signora Carla si veste sempre di nero (Mrs. Carla always wear black).
- Subjunctive example: Dubito che lui si ricordi del nostro anniversario (I doubt he remembers our anniversary).
- Conditional example: Mi allenerei ogni giorno se avessi più tempo (I would train every day if I had more time).
With imperative, gerund, participle, and infinitive tenses, they are attached to the end of the verb, creating a single word:
- Imperative example: Vestiti bene per la festa! (Dress well for the party!)
- Gerund example: Vestendosi, ha sentito dolore al braccio? (Did you feel a pain in your arm while dressing yourself?)
- Participle example: Accortomi dell’errore, ho subito cercato di rimediare (Having realized the mistake, I immediately tried to rectify it).
- Infinitive example: Amate vestirvi in modo elegante per le occasioni speciali, vero? (You love to dress elegantly for special occasions, don’t you?)
When a reflexive verb in the infinitive tense is used with a modal verb (potere – can; dovere – must; volere – want), you can use two constructions:
- Placing the reflexive pronoun before the modal verb and the infinitive, e.g., Loro si devono lavare (They must wash themselves).
- Attaching the reflexive pronoun to the infinitive verb that follows the modal verb, e.g., Loro devono lavarsi (They have to wash themselves).
Attenzione!: With compound tenses, the auxiliary essere (to be) is used, and the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:
- Francesca si è svegliata (Francesca has woken up).
- Carla e Gianna si sono pettinate (Carla and Gianna have combed their hair).
Stressed (tonic) reflexive pronouns in Italian
| Stressed (Tonic) Reflexive Pronouns | ||
| Italian | English | |
| 1° person singular (masc./ fem.) | me | myself |
| 2° person singular (masc./ fem.) | te | yourself |
| 3° person singular (masc./ fem.) | sè | himself, herself, itself |
| 1° person plural (masc./ fem.) | noi | ourselves |
| 2° person plural (masc./ fem.) | voi | yourself |
| 3° person plural (masc./ fem.) | sè | themselves |
What they are: They add emphasis to the object of the action, highlighting the pronoun itself.
Placement: They always follow the verb. Also, they are often used with the identifying adjective stesso (meaning “self”) in its various forms (stessa, stessi, stesse).
Here are some examples:
- Tu pettina te che ai miei capelli ci penso da sola (You comb yourself; I’ll take care of my hair by myself).
- Per essere felici dobbiamo imparare ad amare noi stessi (To be happy, we must learn to love ourselves).
- Impara ad apprezzare te stessa così come sei (Learn to appreciate yourself as you are).
Attenzione! In the third person, singular and plural, sè followed by stesso, stessa, stessi or stesse is used without an accent.
- I cantanti esprimono se stessi attraverso le loro canzoni (Artists often express themselves through their songs).
- Anna ha trovato la forza di ricostruire se stessa dopo la rottura con Paolo (Anna found the strength to rebuild herself after breaking top with Paolo).
Italian Reflexive Pronouns Quiz
Let’s test your knowledge of Italian reflexive pronouns. Fill in the blanks in these sentences using the correct reflexive pronoun.
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