reflexive pronouns

German Reflexive Pronouns

In German, reflexive pronouns are used when the object of a sentence is the same person or thing as the subject. They are much more common in German than the "-self" forms in English, especially with verbs that are mandatory reflexives (like sich setzen — to sit down).

1. Pronoun Forms

For the first and second person (I, you, we, y'all), German uses the standard accusative or dative personal pronouns. However, for the third person (he, she, it, they) and the polite Sie, German uses the special reflexive form sich.

• First person: mich/mir (myself), uns (ourselves)
• Second person: dich/dir (yourself), euch (yourselves)
• Third person & Polite: sich (himself/herself/itself/themselves/yourself)

Examples:
* Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself.)
* Sie wäscht sich. (She washes herself.)
* Ich bilde mir etwas ein. (I'm imagining something.) - Dative

2. Usage with Prepositions and Genitive

Reflexive pronouns are also used after prepositions when they refer back to the subject of the clause.

• Er hatte kein Geld bei sich. (He had no money with him.)
• Sie schlossen die Tür hinter sich. (They closed the door behind them.)

In formal written German, genitive pronouns may occasionally be used reflexively, usually reinforced by selbst to avoid confusion.

• Er ist seiner selbst sicher. (He is sure of himself.)
• Sie war ihrer selbst nicht mehr mächtig. (She was no longer in control of herself.)

3. Reflexive Pronouns in Infinitive Clauses

The interpretation of pronouns in infinitive constructions depends on the type of clause and the presence of prepositions.

A. Without "zu" (Perception Verbs)

When an infinitive follows a verb like hören (to hear) or sehen (to see), the reflexive pronoun refers to the object of the main verb, while a personal pronoun refers back to the subject.

• Er hörte seinen Freund sich tadeln. (He heard his friend blame himself [the friend].)
• Er hörte seinen Freund ihn tadeln. (He heard his friend blame him [the subject].)
• Prepositional Exception: After a preposition, the reflexive refers back to the subject: Peter sah eine dunkle Gestalt vor sich auftauchen. (Peter saw a dark figure appear before him.)

B. With "zu"

The pronoun depends on which noun is understood to be the subject of that specific infinitive action.

• Karl versprach Peter, sich zu entschuldigen. (Karl promised Peter to apologize [Karl will apologize].)
• Karl versprach Peter, ihn zu entschuldigen. (Karl promised Peter to excuse him [Karl excuses Peter].)
• Karl bat Peter, sich zu entschuldigen. (Karl asked Peter to apologize [Peter should apologize].)

4. Emphatic "selbst" and "selber"

The words selbst or selber are used to emphasize a noun or pronoun, similar to "myself" or "himself" in English. When used this way, they are stressed.

• Ich habe selbst mit dem Minister gesprochen. (I spoke to the minister myself.)
• Er hat selber den Brief gelesen. (He read the letter himself.)

However, when selbst is unstressed and placed before the word it modifies, it means "even."

• Selbst er hat den Brief gelesen. (Even he read the letter.)

Would you like me to create a list of common "obligatory reflexive" verbs that every learner should know?