Reflexive Verbs in Romanian

Overview

Reflexive verbs describe actions that the subject performs on themselves — washing oneself, waking up, getting dressed. In Romanian, these verbs are marked by reflexive pronouns (mă, te, se, ne, vă, se) that change according to the subject. Many everyday actions, especially those related to daily routines, are expressed with reflexive verbs, making them essential at the A2 level.

Romanian has a rich system of reflexive verbs, and some verbs are reflexive in Romanian that are not reflexive in English. For example, a se trezi literally means "to wake oneself," but in English you simply say "to wake up." This means you cannot always predict which verbs are reflexive based on your English intuition — you need to learn the reflexive form as part of the verb.

Reflexive pronouns in Romanian are clitic pronouns, meaning they are short, unstressed forms that attach closely to the verb. Their position follows specific rules: they usually come before the conjugated verb in declarative sentences, but after the verb in imperatives and certain other constructions.

How It Works

Reflexive Pronouns (Accusative)

Person	Pronoun	Example with a se spăla
eu	mă	mă spăl
tu	te	te speli
el/ea	se	se spală
noi	ne	ne spălăm
voi	vă	vă spălați
ei/ele	se	se spală

Common Reflexive Verbs

Infinitive	Meaning	Example
a se spăla	to wash oneself	Mă spăl pe mâini.
a se trezi	to wake up	Mă trezesc la 7.
a se îmbrăca	to get dressed	Te îmbraci repede?
a se culca	to go to bed	Ne culcăm devreme.
a se uita	to look/watch	Se uită la televizor.
a se simți	to feel	Mă simt bine.
a se gândi	to think (about)	Mă gândesc la asta.
a se plimba	to go for a walk	Ne plimbăm în parc.
a se opri	to stop	Autobuzul se oprește aici.
a se pregăti	to get ready	Te pregătești de plecare?

Word Order

Declarative sentences: pronoun before the verb.

• Mă trezesc devreme. — I wake up early.

Negation: nu comes before the pronoun.

• Nu mă trezesc devreme. — I don't wake up early.

Questions: pronoun stays before the verb.

• Te simți bine? — Do you feel well?

Imperative (affirmative): pronoun follows the verb with a hyphen.

• Trezește-te! — Wake up!
• Spălați-vă pe mâini! — Wash your hands!

Imperative (negative): pronoun goes before the verb.

• Nu te trezi atât de târziu! — Don't wake up so late!

Reflexive vs. Non-Reflexive

Some verbs exist in both reflexive and non-reflexive forms with different meanings:

Non-reflexive	Meaning	Reflexive	Meaning
a spăla	to wash (something)	a se spăla	to wash oneself
a trezi	to wake (someone)	a se trezi	to wake up
a îmbrăca	to dress (someone)	a se îmbrăca	to get dressed
a uita	to forget	a se uita	to look/watch
a opri	to stop (something)	a se opri	to stop (oneself)

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Mă trezesc la șase dimineața.	I wake up at six in the morning.	Daily routine
Te speli pe dinți?	Do you brush your teeth?	Literally "wash on teeth"
Se îmbracă frumos.	He/She dresses nicely.	3rd person
Ne plimbăm pe malul lacului.	We walk along the lakeside.	Leisure activity
Vă pregătiți de plecare?	Are you (pl.) getting ready to leave?	Preparation
Se culcă devreme în fiecare seară.	They go to bed early every evening.	3rd pl. same as 3rd sg.
Nu mă simt bine azi.	I don't feel well today.	Health
Mă gândesc la vacanță.	I'm thinking about vacation.	La + noun
Trezește-te! E târziu!	Wake up! It's late!	Imperative
Se uită la un film.	He/She is watching a movie.	Entertainment
Copiii se joacă afară.	The children play outside.	A se juca = to play
Trebuie să mă pregătesc.	I must get ready.	Modal + reflexive

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the reflexive pronoun

• Wrong: Trezesc la 7.
• Right: Mă trezesc la 7.
• Why: Without mă, the sentence means "I wake (someone else) at 7" — the reflexive pronoun is what makes the action apply to yourself.

Using the wrong pronoun for the subject

• Wrong: Eu se spăl.
• Right: Eu mă spăl.
• Why: Each person has its own reflexive pronoun. Se is only for 3rd person (el/ea/ei/ele). First person eu requires mă.

Placing the pronoun after the verb in declarative sentences

• Wrong: Trezesc mă devreme.
• Right: Mă trezesc devreme.
• Why: In declarative sentences, the reflexive pronoun goes before the verb. It only follows the verb in affirmative imperatives.

Confusing a uita and a se uita

• Wrong: Mă uit cheia. (I forget the key)
• Right: Uit cheia. (I forget the key) / Mă uit la televizor. (I watch TV)
• Why: A uita (without se) means "to forget." A se uita (with se) means "to look at / to watch." They are different verbs.

Usage Notes

Romanian uses reflexive verbs much more broadly than English. Many verbs that describe a change of state or emotional experiences are reflexive: a se bucura (to be happy/rejoice), a se supăra (to get upset), a se plictisi (to get bored).

In the compound past tense (perfectul compus), the reflexive pronoun comes before the auxiliary a avea: M-am trezit (I woke up), Te-ai spălat (You washed yourself), S-a îmbrăcat (He/She got dressed). The pronoun contracts with the auxiliary.

Some verbs are inherently reflexive — they only exist in reflexive form: a se abține (to refrain), a se căi (to repent). These cannot be used without the reflexive pronoun.

Practice Tips

• Narrate your morning routine: Go through your morning step by step using reflexive verbs: Mă trezesc. Mă spăl. Mă îmbrac. Mă uit în oglindă. Mă pregătesc de plecare.
• Practice pronoun switching: Take one verb and conjugate it through all persons with a simple sentence: Mă trezesc devreme. Te trezești devreme. Se trezește devreme...
• Contrast reflexive and non-reflexive: Practice pairs: Spăl hainele (I wash the clothes) vs. Mă spăl (I wash myself), to feel the difference.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Clitic Pronouns — reflexive pronouns are a subset of the clitic pronoun system
• Next steps: Compound Past Tense — learn how reflexive pronouns interact with the past tense auxiliary