reflexive/pronominal

Italian Reflexive Pronouns (I Pronomi Riflessivi)

In Italian, reflexive pronouns are used when the subject of the sentence performs an action on themselves. This means the subject and the object are the same person or thing.

1. The Forms

The unstressed reflexive pronouns correspond to the six grammatical persons:

• mi: myself (1st person singular)
• ti: yourself (2nd person singular)
• si: himself, herself, itself, yourself formal (3rd person singular)
• ci: ourselves (1st person plural)
• vi: yourselves (2nd person plural)
• si: themselves (3rd person plural)

2. Usage and Position

These pronouns usually come before the conjugated verb:

Mi lavo. (I wash myself.)

Anna si veste per la festa. (Anna gets dressed for the party.)

They are attached to the end of infinitives (after dropping the final -e), gerunds, or imperatives:

Devo alzarmi presto. (I must get up early.)

Non voglio lavarmi. (I don't want to wash myself.)

3. Common Reflexive Verbs

Many Italian verbs are frequently or always reflexive, often expressing emotions, habits, or changes of state:

• alzarsi (to get up)
• annoiarsi (to get bored)
• ricordarsi (to remember)
• sentirsi (to feel)
• svegliarsi (to wake up)

Paolo si sveglia sempre tardi. (Paolo always wakes up late.)

4. Body Parts and Belongings

In Italian, you use reflexive pronouns instead of possessive adjectives when referring to body parts or clothing:

Mi lavo le mani. (I wash my hands.)

Ti metti il cappotto? (Are you putting on your coat?)

5. Reciprocal Usage

In the plural (ci, vi, si), these pronouns can mean "each other":

Alfredo e Pina non si parlano più. (Alfredo and Pina don't talk to each other anymore.)

6. Compound Tenses (The Auxiliary "Essere")

Reflexive verbs always use the auxiliary verb essere (to be) in compound tenses like the passato prossimo. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject:

Paolo si è svegliato tardi. (Paolo woke up late.)

Maria si è annoiata. (Maria got bored.)

Paolo e Francesca si sono sposati. (Paolo and Francesca got married.)

7. Stressed Forms

For emphasis or after prepositions, stressed forms like sé or te are used, often with stesso/a (self):

Franca ama solo se stessa. (Franca loves only herself.)

Parlano solo di sé stessi. (They only talk about themselves.)