Lesson 18: Reflexive Verbs & Daily Routine
Ma journée — Reflexive Verbs & Daily Routine · A0 → A1 · Part 2 · Everyday Actions
You will learn reflexive verbs — verbs where you do the action to yourself: I wash myself, I get myself up. You will build your whole daily routine with se réveiller, se lever, se laver, s'habiller and se coucher. You will link the day together with le matin, l'après-midi, le soir, d'abord, ensuite, enfin, and give rough times like à sept heures. This lesson finishes Part 2, so it recycles être, avoir, aller, faire and the -ER verbs.
In this lesson
- reflexive verbs
- se lever / se coucher / s'habiller
- daily routine
- telling the time roughly
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| se réveiller | to wake up | suh ray-vay-yay سُہ رے وے یے | Reflexive -ER verb. Je me réveille à sept heures. |
| se lever | to get up | suh luh-vay سُہ لُہ وے | Accent change! je me lève — the e becomes è. nous nous levons keeps the plain e. |
| se laver | to wash (oneself) | suh la-vay سُہ لا وے | Je me lave le matin. Body parts take le / la / les, not mon / ma. |
| se doucher | to have a shower | suh doo-shay سُہ دُوشے | Je me douche. A firm favourite in French daily life. |
| s'habiller | to get dressed | sa-bee-yay سابیے | The ill is a 'y' sound. The h is silent. Je m'habille. |
| se brosser les dents | to brush one's teeth | suh bro-say lay dahn سُہ بروسے لے داں | les dents is always plural. The final s of dents is silent. |
| se coucher | to go to bed | suh koo-shay سُہ کُوشے | Je me couche à onze heures. Not the same as s'endormir. |
| s'endormir | to fall asleep | sahn-dor-meer سان دور میر | The en is nasal. The final r IS pronounced: 'meer'. |
| le matin | in the morning | luh ma-tan لُہ ماتاں | Nasal in. No preposition needed: le matin, je me lève. |
| l'après-midi | in the afternoon | la-preh-mee-dwee لاپرے میدوی | Same word for 'afternoon' and 'in the afternoon'. Masculine. |
| le soir | in the evening | luh swar لُہ سوار | The 'oi' is 'wa'. Le soir, je regarde la télé. |
| d'abord | first / first of all | da-bor دابور | The final r is pronounced. Starts your routine story. |
| ensuite | then / next | ahn-sweet ان سوِیٹ | The 'ui' is the sound 'wee': ahn-sweet. |
| puis | then | pwee پوِی | One syllable, the s is silent. Very common in speech. |
| après | after / afterwards | a-preh اپرے | The s is silent. Après, je vais au bureau. |
| enfin | finally / at last | ahn-fan انفاں | Nasal in. Closes your routine story. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| je me lève | zhuh muh lev | zhuh muh ... lev | The è of lève is an open 'eh'. The final e is silent, so stop on the v. |
| nous nous levons | noo noo luh-von | noo noo ... luh-von | Two 'noo' sounds in a row is normal. Note that levons has a plain e, not è. The on is nasal. |
| vous vous levez | voo voo luh-vay | voo voo ... luh-vay | Again two identical words. Keep them light and quick, then open the -ez to 'ay'. |
| je m'habille | zhuh ma-beey | zhuh ... ma-beey | me + habille join to m'habille. The h is completely silent and the ill is a 'y' sound: 'ma-beey'. |
| je ne me lève pas tôt | shuhn muh lev pa to | zhuh nuh muh lev pa to | The negative wraps two words: ne … pas around 'me lève'. The final t of tôt is silent. |
| le soir, vers onze heures | luh swar vehr on-zur | luh swar ... vehr on-zur | Liaison with onze: 'on-zur'. Never say 'on-ur'. |
The tricky part of reflexive verbs is the two identical little words stuck together: nous nous levons, vous vous levez. Say them as one flowing block instead of two separate words.
Grammar
Reflexive verbs — the action comes back to you
A reflexive verb describes something you do to yourself. In French you need a small pronoun in front of the verb that changes with the person: me, te, se, nous, vous, se. These little words mean 'myself, yourself, himself / herself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves'. So se lever literally works like 'to get oneself up': je me lève = I get myself up, tu te lèves, il se lève. In the negative, ne goes in front of the pronoun: je ne me lève pas tôt. This is one of the few places where ne … pas wraps two words instead of one.
Building a routine: time words, order words and the negative
To tell your day, you need three tools. First, the periods of the day, which stand alone with no preposition: le matin, l'après-midi, le soir. Second, the order words that carry your listener from one action to the next: d'abord, ensuite, puis, après, enfin. Third, a rough time: à sept heures, vers huit heures, à midi, le soir. À means 'at' a point in time; vers means 'around' and is used when you are not exact. Do not worry about the full clock yet — you will learn that in lesson 23. To make your routine negative, put ne before the pronoun and pas after the verb: je ne me lève pas tôt.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Je me réveille à sept heures. | I wake up at seven o'clock. | zhuh muh ray-vay a set ur |
| Je me lève à sept heures et demie. | I get up at half past seven. | zhuh muh lev a set ur ay duh-mee |
| D'abord, je me douche. | First, I have a shower. | da-bor, zhuh muh doosh |
| Ensuite, je m'habille. | Then I get dressed. | ahn-sweet, zhuh ma-beey |
| Je me lave et je me brosse les dents. | I wash and I brush my teeth. | zhuh muh lav ay zhuh muh bros lay dahn |
| Le matin, je prends… pardon, je vais au bureau à huit heures. | In the morning, I go to the office at eight o'clock. | luh ma-tan, zhuh vay o bü-ro a üeet ur |
| À midi, je mange avec mes amis. | At midday, I eat with my friends. | a mee-dwee, zhuh mahnzh a-vek may za-mee |
| L'après-midi, je travaille et j'étudie le français. | In the afternoon, I work and I study French. | la-preh-mee-dwee, zhuh tra-vay ay zhay-tü-dee luh frahn-seh |
| Le soir, je fais du sport. | In the evening, I do sport. | luh swar, zhuh feh dü spor |
| Puis je regarde la télé et j'écoute de la musique. | Then I watch TV and listen to music. | pwee zhuh ruh-gard la tay-lay ay zhay-koot duh la mü-zeek |
| Enfin, je me couche vers onze heures. | Finally, I go to bed around eleven. | ahn-fan, zhuh muh koosh vehr on-zur |
| Nous nous levons à six heures. | We get up at six o'clock. | noo noo luh-von a seez ur |
| Vous vous couchez tard ? | Do you go to bed late? | voo voo koo-shay tar ↗ |
| Ils se lèvent tôt et ils vont au marché. | They get up early and go to the market. | eel suh lev to ay eel von o mar-shay |
| Je ne me lève pas tôt le dimanche. | I don't get up early on Sunday. | zhuh nuh muh lev pa to luh dee-mahnh |
| Elle ne se couche pas tard. | She doesn't go to bed late. | el nuh suh koosh pa tar |
| Après, je me repose un peu. | Afterwards, I rest a little. | a-preh, zhuh muh ruh-poz uhn puh |
| Je m'endors vite. | I fall asleep quickly. | zhuh mahn-dor veet |
| Le week-end, je me réveille à dix heures. | At the weekend, I wake up at ten o'clock. | luh wee-kend, zhuh muh ray-vay a deez ur |
Dialogue: Monday morning in the kitchen
Nadia and her husband describe their mornings to each other. Listen for the two identical pronouns in nous nous levons and vous vous levez.
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nadia | Tu te lèves à quelle heure le lundi ? | What time do you get up on Mondays? | tü tuh lev a kel ur luh lahn-dee ↗ |
| Bilal | À six heures. D'abord je me douche, ensuite je m'habille. | At six. First I have a shower, then I get dressed. | a seez ur, da-bor zhuh muh doosh, ahn-sweet zhuh ma-beey |
| Nadia | Moi, je me réveille à six heures et demie et je me lève à sept heures. | Me, I wake up at half past six and get up at seven. | mwa, zhuh muh ray-vay a see z-ur ay duh-mee ay zhuh muh lev a set ur |
| Bilal | Et tu ne manges pas le matin ? | And you don't eat in the morning? | ay tü nuh mahnzh pa luh ma-tan ↗ |
| Nadia | Non, je ne mange pas le matin. Juste un café ! | No, I don't eat in the morning. Just a coffee! | non, zhuh nuh mahnzh pa luh ma-tan, züst uhn ka-fay |
| Bilal | Nous nous levons tôt, mais nous ne nous couchons pas tard. | We get up early, but we don't go to bed late. | noo noo luh-von to, meh noo nuh noo koo-shon pa tar |
| Nadia | Voilà. Le soir, on regarde la télé et on s'endort vite. | Exactly. In the evening, we watch TV and fall asleep fast. | vwa-la, luh swar, on ruh-gard la tay-lay ay on sahn-dor veet |
Say it out loud
- Je me réveille à sept heures. — I wake up at seven o'clock. réveille = ray-vay.
- Je me lève. — I get up. Watch the accent: lève, not leve.
- D'abord, je me douche. — First, I have a shower. Shorter than you expect: doosh.
- Ensuite, je m'habille. — Then I get dressed. ill = y sound.
- Je me brosse les dents. — I brush my teeth. dents is 'dahn', nasal.
- Nous nous levons à six heures. — We get up at six o'clock. Two identical pronouns, then a nasal -on.
- Vous vous couchez tard ? — Do you go to bed late? Rising intonation for the question.
- Puis je fais du sport et je me couche à onze heures. — Then I do sport and go to bed at eleven. Recycles faire and aller from earlier lessons.
- Je ne me lève pas tôt le dimanche. — I don't get up early on Sunday. ne + me, then pas after the verb.
- Le matin, je vais au bureau. Le soir, je me repose. — In the morning I go to the office. In the evening I rest. Recycles aller and au from lesson 16.
Listening practice: A worker's day in Lyon
Bonjour, je m'appelle Nadia et j'habite à Lyon. Le matin, je me réveille à six heures et je me lève tout de suite. D'abord, je me lave et je me brosse les dents. Ensuite, je m'habille et je mange un peu. À huit heures, je vais au bureau en bus. À midi, je mange avec mes collègues. L'après-midi, je travaille. Le soir, je fais du sport avec ma sœur. Enfin, je me couche vers onze heures et je m'endors vite. Bonne journée !
Hello, my name is Nadia and I live in Lyon. In the morning, I wake up at six o'clock and I get up straight away. First, I wash and brush my teeth. Then I get dressed and eat a little. At eight o'clock, I go to the office by bus. At midday, I eat with my colleagues. In the afternoon, I work. In the evening, I do sport with my sister. Finally, I go to bed around eleven and fall asleep quickly. Have a good day!
Questions
- Where does Nadia live? In Paris / In Lyon / In Marseille → In Lyon
- What time does she wake up? At five o'clock / At six o'clock / At seven o'clock → At six o'clock
- How does she go to the office? By bus / On foot / By train → By bus
- Who does she do sport with? Her colleagues / Her sister / Her friends → Her sister
- What time does she go to bed? Around ten / Around eleven / Around midnight → Around eleven
Remember this
- Reflexive pronouns: je me, tu te, il / elle se, nous nous, vous vous, ils / elles se.
- se lever: je me lève, tu te lèves, il se lève, nous nous levons, vous vous levez, ils se lèvent.
- Accent change only in je, tu, il, ils: lève. nous and vous keep lev-.
- Routine verbs: se réveiller, se lever, se laver, se doucher, s'habiller, se brosser les dents, se coucher, s'endormir.
- me + a vowel becomes m': je m'habille, je m'endors.
- Periods of day need no preposition: le matin, l'après-midi, le soir.
- Order words: d'abord, ensuite, puis, après, enfin.
- Times: à sept heures (exact), vers huit heures (around), à midi.
- Body parts take le / la / les: je me brosse les dents.
- Recycles Part 2: être, avoir, aller, faire and the -ER verbs.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Je lève à sept heures. | Je me lève à sept heures. | Without the reflexive pronoun, je lève means 'I lift (something)'. For getting yourself up you need me. |
| Je me lave mes mains. | Je me lave les mains. | With parts of the body French uses le / la / les, not mon / ma / mes. |
| Je me lève pas. | Je ne me lève pas. | The ne is dropped in fast speech but must always be written. |
| Nous nous lèvons. | Nous nous levons. | The accent change je me lève does NOT happen in the nous and vous forms: nous nous levons, vous vous levez. |
| Je me couche à 23 heures (reading digits in French) | Je me couche à onze heures | In speech French people usually say onze heures du soir. Digits like 23 are read letter by letter only for phone numbers. Full clock work is in lesson 23. |
Practice questions
- What is a reflexive verb? A verb used only in the past / A verb where the action comes back to yourself / A verb with no subject / A verb used only in questions — A verb where the action comes back to yourself
- Which pronoun goes with 'nous' in a reflexive verb? nous / se / me / vous — nous
- Complete: Je ____ lève à sept heures. se / me / te / nous — me
- Complete: Ils ____ couchent tard. me / nous / se / te — se
- Which is the correct spelling? je me leve / je me lève / je me lév / je me lave — je me lève
- How do you say 'to brush one's teeth'? se brosser les dents / se laver les dents / brosser se dents / se brosser des dents — se brosser les dents
- Which word means 'first' to start your routine? enfin / d'abord / puis / après — d'abord
- Complete: ____, je me couche vers onze heures. D'abord / Enfin / Le matin / À midi — Enfin
- How do you say 'I don't get up early'? Je ne me lève pas tôt. / Je me ne lève pas tôt. / Je ne lève me pas tôt. / Je ne me pas lève tôt. — Je ne me lève pas tôt.
- What does 'vers huit heures' mean? Exactly at eight / Around eight o'clock / At eight thirty / Before eight — Around eight o'clock
Homework (15 minutes)
1) Write your real morning routine as six sentences, starting each one with a different order word (d'abord, ensuite, puis, après, enfin). 2) Add a rough time to at least three of them (à sept heures, vers huit heures, à midi). 3) Say the whole routine out loud twice, then record it and listen. 4) Now write the negative of two sentences, for example 'Le dimanche, je ne me lève pas tôt.' 5) Finally, take one sentence from lesson 16 (aller) and one from lesson 17 (faire) and put them into your routine.
Lesson 18 of 45 · Part 2 · Everyday Actions · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2