German reflexive verbs are used in sentences where the subject carries out an action directed at themself.
These verbs are usually used with reflexive pronouns in German, which indicate that the action is directed at the subject.
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Reflexive Pronouns in German
I discuss these more in detail in my post about pronouns in German, but here is the table with reflexive pronouns to help you while reading this post. Note that reflexive pronouns can only be in the accusative or dative cases, but I will put the nominative personal pronouns in the first column for reference:
| Personal Pronouns in the Nominative Case | Accusative | Dative |
| ich (I) | mich (myself) | mir (myself) |
| du (you, informal singular) | dich (yourself) | dir (yourself) |
| er (he) | sich (himself) | sich (himself) |
| sie (she) | sich (herself) | sich (herself) |
| es (it) | sich (itself) | sich (itself) |
| wir (we) | uns (ourselves) | uns (ourselves) |
| ihr (you, informal plural) | euch (yourselves) | euch (yourselves) |
| sie (they) | sich (themselves) | sich (themselves) |
| Sie (you, formal singular or plural) | sich (yourself or yourselves) | Ihnen (yourself or yourselves) |
Knowing in which case the pronoun should be can be determined by asking one of the following two questions (other than if a preposition determines it for you):
- Accusative case: if the information in the sentence answers the question “who is doing what”
- Dative case: if the information in the sentence answers the question “who is doing what to what or whom”
For more details on how German reflexive pronouns work, refer to my post about German pronouns.
How to Use Reflexive Verbs in German
In German reflexive verbs are used quite a bit more than in English. For example, in German you would say “beeilen Sie sich“, but in English, a reflexive verb is not used, you would simply say “hurry up”.
Personal care routines such as brushing your teeth would use the reflexive form:
Ich putze mir die Zähne.
I brush my teeth.
Using These Verbs Without Pronouns
Some verbs, however, can be used without the reflexive pronoun, but this will change the meaning of the word. I will use “waschen” (“to wash”) as an example.
In the following sentence the reflexive form is used:
Du wächst dir am Abend die Hände.
You wash your hair in the evening.
However, “waschen” can also be used without the pronoun “dich“:
Du wächst dein Auto jeden Samstag.
List of German Reflexive Verbs
Seperable-Prefix Verbs
Here is a list of common reflexive verbs in German including separable-prefix reflexive verbs and reflexive verbs with prepositions in German:
| Reflexive Verb | English Verb | Pronoun Case |
|---|---|---|
| sich abgewöhnen | to give up something | Dative |
| sich abshminken | to take off one’s makeup | Accusative |
| sich abtrocknen | to dry oneself off | Accusative |
| sich (die Hände) abtrocknen | to dry (one’s hands) | Dative |
| sich anziehen | to get dressed | Accusative |
| sich (das Hemd) anziehen | to put on (one’s shirt) | Dative |
| sich ärgern (über) | to be angry or upset (about) | Accusative |
| sich afregen | to get excited | Accusative |
| sich ausziehen | to get undressed | Accusative |
| sich (die stiefel) ausziehen | to take off one’s shoes | Dative |
| sich bedienen | to serve oneself | Accusative |
| sich beeilen | to hurry (up) | Accusative |
| sich befinden | to be located | Accusative |
| sich bechäftigen mit | to be occupied with | Dative |
| sich bewegen | to move | Accusative |
| sich berwerben um | to apply for | Accusative |
| sich duschen | to take a shower | Accusative |
| sich eignen | to be suited (for) | Accusative |
| sich einblinden | to (wrongly) imagine | Dative |
| sich entscheiden | to decide | Accusative |
| sich erholen | to get better or recover | Accusative |
| sich erinnern | to remember or recollect | Accusative |
| sich erkundigen nach | to ask about | Dative |
| sich erlauben | to allow oneself | Dative |
| sich freuen auf | to look forward to something | Accusative |
| sich freuen über | to be happy about something | Accusative |
| sich fürchten vor | to be afraid of | Dative |
| sich gewöhnen an | to get used to something | Accusative |
| sich handeln um | to be about | Accusative |
| sich interessieren für | to be interested in | Accusative |
| sich irren | to be wrong | Accusative |
| sich kämmen | to comb oneself | Accusative |
| sich konzentrieren auf | to focus on | Accusative |
| sich kümmern | to take care of | Accusative |
| sich (die Haare) kämmen | to comb (one’s hair) | Dative |
| sich leisten | to afford | Dative |
| sich melden | to report | Accusative |
| sich nähern | to get close to | Dative |
| sich (die Zähne) Putzen | to brush one’s teeth | Dative |
| sich rasieren | to shave oneself | Accusative |
| sich (das Gesicht) Rasieren | to shave one’s face | Dative |
| sich setzen (oder hinsetzen) | to sit down | Accusative |
| sich sminken | to put on one’s makeup | Accusative |
| sich trauen | to dare | Accusative |
| sich trennen von | to break up with | Dative |
| sich umsehen | to look around | Accusative |
| sich vergewissern | to make sure (of) | Accusative |
| sich verlassen auf | to rely on | Accusative |
| sich verlieben in | to fall in love with | Accusative |
| sich vorbereiten auf | to get ready for | Accusative |
| sich vornehmen | to plan to do | Dative |
| sich vorstellen | to introduce oneself | Accusative |
| sich waschen | to wash oneself | Accusative |
| sich (das Gesicht / die Haare / die Hände) waschen | to wash (one’s face / hair / hands) | Dative |
| sich wundern über | to be amazed at | Accusative |
| sich wünschen | to want | Dative |
This list is quite comprehensive and will get you a long way.
Conclusion: German Reflexive Verbs
Using German reflexive verbs shouldn’t be hard. And if the questions “what are reflexive verbs in German” or “how to use reflexive verbs in German” ever popped into your head, I hope that answered your questions. If I didn’t, leave a comment below with your questions so I can help you.
xoxo,
Charlé
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