Reflexive Verbs in Italian

Overview

Reflexive verbs are verbs where the action reflects back onto the subject — the person doing the action is also receiving it. In English, this concept appears with words like "myself," "yourself," and "herself," but in Italian, reflexive verbs are far more common and form an essential part of everyday speech.

You will recognize reflexive verbs in the dictionary by the ending -si attached to the infinitive: chiamarsi (to call oneself / to be called), svegliarsi (to wake up), alzarsi (to get up). To conjugate them, you remove the -si, conjugate the verb normally, and place the correct reflexive pronoun before it.

Reflexive verbs are especially common when describing daily routines — getting up, washing, getting dressed, going to sleep — making them essential vocabulary at the A1 level.

How It Works

Reflexive Pronouns

Each subject has a corresponding reflexive pronoun that goes before the conjugated verb:

Person	Pronoun	Meaning
io	mi	myself
tu	ti	yourself
lui / lei / Lei	si	himself / herself / yourself (formal)
noi	ci	ourselves
voi	vi	yourselves
loro	si	themselves

Conjugation Example: chiamarsi (to be called)

Person	Conjugation	Translation
io	mi chiamo	my name is (I call myself)
tu	ti chiami	your name is
lui / lei	si chiama	his/her name is
noi	ci chiamiamo	our names are
voi	vi chiamate	your names are
loro	si chiamano	their names are

The verb part (chiamo, chiami, chiama...) follows regular -ARE conjugation. The reflexive pronoun simply goes in front.

Common Reflexive Verbs

Infinitive	Meaning
chiamarsi	to be called
svegliarsi	to wake up
alzarsi	to get up
lavarsi	to wash (oneself)
vestirsi	to get dressed
addormentarsi	to fall asleep
prepararsi	to get ready
sentirsi	to feel
trovarsi	to find oneself / to be located
divertirsi	to enjoy oneself / to have fun

Examples in Context

Italian	English	Note
Mi chiamo Marco.	My name is Marco.	Most common way to introduce yourself
Mi sveglio alle sette.	I wake up at seven.	Daily routine
Ti alzi presto la mattina?	Do you get up early in the morning?	Question form — pronoun stays before verb
Lei si lava le mani.	She washes her hands.	Reflexive used for body parts
Ci vestiamo velocemente.	We get dressed quickly.	Noi form
I bambini si addormentano tardi.	The children fall asleep late.	Loro form
Vi divertite alla festa?	Are you all having fun at the party?	Voi form
Mi preparo per uscire.	I get ready to go out.	Preparing oneself
Come ti chiami?	What is your name?	Essential A1 question
Si sente bene oggi.	He/She feels well today.	Describing how someone feels
Ci troviamo al bar alle otto.	We meet at the bar at eight.	"Trovarsi" = to meet up
Mi lavo i denti ogni mattina.	I brush my teeth every morning.	Literally "I wash myself the teeth"
Non mi alzo mai prima delle sei.	I never get up before six.	Negation: non goes before the pronoun

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

• Wrong: Chiamo Marco.
• Right: Mi chiamo Marco.
• Why: Without "mi," the sentence means "I call Marco" (calling someone else), not "My name is Marco." The reflexive pronoun is what makes the action reflect back on the subject.

Placing the pronoun after the conjugated verb

• Wrong: Sveglio mi alle sette.
• Right: Mi sveglio alle sette.
• Why: With conjugated verbs, the reflexive pronoun always goes before the verb. It only attaches to the end with infinitives (svegliarsi) and a few other forms you will learn later.

Using the wrong pronoun for the subject

• Wrong: Tu mi alzi presto.
• Right: Tu ti alzi presto.
• Why: The pronoun must match the subject. "Tu" pairs with "ti," not "mi." Each person has its own reflexive pronoun.

Confusing reflexive and non-reflexive meanings

• Wrong: Mi chiamo il dottore. (intending "I call the doctor")
• Right: Chiamo il dottore. (I call the doctor) vs. Mi chiamo Marco. (My name is Marco)
• Why: Many verbs have both reflexive and non-reflexive forms with different meanings. Adding "mi" changes the meaning entirely.

Placing "non" after the pronoun

• Wrong: Mi non sveglio presto.
• Right: Non mi sveglio presto.
• Why: In negative sentences, "non" comes before the reflexive pronoun: non + pronoun + verb.

Practice Tips

1. Narrate your morning routine using reflexive verbs: "Mi sveglio, mi alzo, mi lavo, mi vesto..." This builds muscle memory with the most common reflexive verbs in a natural sequence.
2. Practice "Come ti chiami?" dialogues with imaginary characters, cycling through all persons: "Mi chiamo..., Si chiama..., Ci chiamiamo..." This locks in both the question form and all pronoun-verb pairings.
3. Compare reflexive and non-reflexive pairs to feel the difference: "Lavo la macchina" (I wash the car) vs. "Mi lavo" (I wash myself). This helps you understand when and why the reflexive pronoun is needed.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular -ARE Verbs — reflexive verbs follow the same conjugation patterns, with the addition of pronouns
• Next steps: Reflexive Verbs in Past — how to use reflexive verbs in the passato prossimo
• Next steps: Impersonal Si — the impersonal use of "si" for general statements