PHRASES UTILISANT

DES VERBES
PRONOMINAUX
PRESENTED BY: SHASHWAT KUMAR COURSE: B.COM(H) ENROLLMENT NO: 017
 WHAT IS A PRONOMINAL VERB
A pronominal verb is a verb that is accompanied by a reflexive pronoun. Pronominal
verbs fall into three major classes based on their meaning: reflexive, idiomatic, and
reciprocal. You have probably already seen the pronominal verb s'appeler (Comment
t'appelles-tu? What is your name?). To conjugate pronominal verbs in the present tense,
you need to pay attention to both the pronoun and the verb form. Listen carefully to the
conjugation of the following pronominal verb. The verb is conjugated normally (here an
-er verb) with addition of the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nous, vous, se.
EXAMPLE:
se raser-'to shave oneself’;je me rase-nous nous rasons;tu te rases -vous vous rasezil;
elle/on se rase-ils/elles se rasent.
 REFLEXIVE VERB
◦ Pronominal verbs often express reflexive actions, that is, the subject performs the action
on itself. If the subject performs the action on someone else, the verb is not reflexive.
Here is a list of common reflexive verbs.
◦ EXAMPLE:
◦ s'asseoir, to sit (down)s'appeler, to be calleds'arrêter, to stopse brosser, to brushse
coucher, to go to beds'habiller, to get dressedse laver, to washse lever, to get upse
promener, to take a walkse réveiller, to wake up.
 IDIOMATIC VERB
◦ Some pronominal verbs are idiomatic and do not represent reflexive actions per se.
s'amuser (to have fun) and se reposer (to rest) are examples of pronominal verbs with
idiomatic meanings. The following list includes common idiomatic pronominal verbs.
◦ EXAMPLE:
◦ s'amuser, to have funse dépêcher, to hurrys'endormir, to fall asleeps'ennuyer, to be
boreds'entendre, to get alongse fâcher, to get angryse marier, to get marriedse passer, to
happense reposer, to restse sentir, to feelse souvenir de, to rememberse taire, to be silentse
tromper, to make a mistakese trouver, to be (situated).
 RECIPROCAL VERB
◦ Pronominal verbs often express reflexive actions, that is, the subject performs the action
on itself. If the subject performs the action on someone else, the verb is not reflexive.
Here is a list of common reflexive verbs.
◦ EXAMPLE :
◦ s'aimer, to love each otherse détester, to hate each otherse disputer, to argues'embrasser, to
kissse parler to talk to each otherse quitter, to leave each otherse regarder, to look at each
otherse retrouver, to meet each otherse téléphoner, to telephone each other.
 MAIN POINTS TO BE AWARE WHILE
USING PRONOMINAL VERB
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE “BASE VERB”
◦ The meaning of most pronominal verbs has some connection with the meaning of the
base verb, so when you’ve learnt the base verb, automatically you’ll have some idea
what the corresponding pronominal verb means.
◦ Unfortunately, there is a fairly small number of “idiomatic pronominal verbs” (about 40
common ones), for which the meaning of the pronominal verbs doesn’t have a clear
connection with the meaning of the base verb. This is one reason why French
pronominal verbs are sometimes confusing for English speakers.
◦ For example, “emporter” means “to take something away; to take something with you”
but the corresponding pronominal verb “s’emporter” means “to lose one’s temper, to
become angry”.
 PRONOMINAL VERBS ARE MUCH MORE
COMMON IN FRENCH THAN THEY ARE IN
ENGLISH
◦ Another reason why these French verbs can be confusing for English speakers is
because their counterpart in English may not be reflexive or reciprocal.
◦ For example, none of the examples above (se raser, s’aimer, s’emporter) is reflexive or
reciprocal in English.
◦ In English, we simply say: “my uncle shaves every morning”, “they have been in love for
ten years”, “he often loses his temper”.
◦ My tip – when memorizing a pronominal verb, try to use it in a sentence, and memorize
that sentence. It will be easier to remember that this particular verb is used in a reflexive
way in French.
 CONJUGATION WITH “ÊTRE” IN
COMPOUND TENSES
◦ In compound tenses (e.g. the passé composé):
◦ • all pronominal verbs use the auxiliary verb être
◦ • you will need to make the past participle of the pronominal verb agree with the
subject of the verb in gender and in number, unless it’s followed by a direct object.
◦ 1 – Camille s’est coiffée (Camille combed herself)
◦ 2 – Camille s’est coiffé les cheveux (Camille combed her hair)
 Give the correct form of the verb
indicated in parentheses.
◦ Tex et Tammy ne ______ pas avec leurs amis. (s'ennuyer)correct answer: s’ennuient
◦ Fiona dit à Tex: Tu ______ , mais moi, je vais travailler. (s'amuser)
correct answer: t’amuses
◦ Tammy dit à Fiona: tu ne vas pas ______ ? (se reposer)
correct answer: te reposer
◦ Tex et Tammy ______ à Zilker Park. (se promener)correct answer: se promènent
◦ Tex: Tammy ne ______ jamais avec moi. (se fâcher)
correct answer: se fâche
◦ Bette ______ toujours pour Tex. (se maquiller)correct answer: se maquille
◦ Tex: Je ne ______ pas. Je n'ai pas de cheveux. (se raser)correct answer: me rase
◦ Bette demande à Fiona: Est-ce que tu ______ à minuit? (se coucher)correct answer: te
couche
◦ Corey: Mes amis et moi, nous ne ______ jamais les cheveux. (se brosser)correct answer:
nous brossons.
◦ Edouard, à quelle heure est-ce que vous ______ le week-end? (se lever)
correct answer: vous levez.
Merci