Reflexive Pronouns (Reflexivpronomen)¶
Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs. They "reflect" the action of the verb back onto the subject, indicating that the subject is performing the action on or for itself.
They correspond to "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," "ourselves," "yourselves," and "themselves" in English.
Reflexive pronouns only exist in the Accusative and Dative cases.
Reflexive Pronoun Declension¶
| Subject | Accusative | Dative | (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | mich | mir | myself |
| du | dich | dir | yourself |
| er / sie / es | sich | sich | himself / herself / itself |
| wir | uns | uns | ourselves |
| ihr | euch | euch | yourselves |
| sie / Sie | sich | sich | themselves / yourself (formal) |
Key Rule: The 1st and 2nd persons (ich, du, wir, ihr) use their normal personal pronouns. The 3rd person (er, sie, es, sie, Sie) always uses sich.
When to use Accusative vs. Dative¶
Most reflexive verbs take the Accusative. * Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself.) * Er rasiert sich. (He shaves himself.) * Wir freuen uns. (We are happy / We are pleased.)
You use the Dative reflexive pronoun only when the "thing" you are doing the action to is a different part of your body (which becomes the accusative object).
- Accusative: Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself - mich is the direct object).
- Dative: Ich wasche mir die Hände. (I wash my hands - mir is the dative "for myself," and die Hände is the accusative direct object).
More Dative Examples: * Putzt du dir die Zähne? (Are you brushing your teeth?) * Sie kauft sich ein neues Auto. (She is buying herself a new car.)