A verb is reflexive when the action is performed on the subject. For example the verb to wash one's self is a reflexive verb because the person who is doing the action of washing is also the person who is receiving the action of being washed. Some more examples are:

to comb your hair
to dress up
to undress
to make yourself a sandwich

In all of the above examples, the subject (person who does the action) and the direct obejct (the person receiving the action) are one in the same.

In Italian we know that a verb is reflexive when the verb has the letters "si" attached to the infinitive. Some examples are:

svegliarsi = to wake up
lavarsi = to wash up
farsi un panino = to make yourself a sandwich

Notice that all of the Italian verbs above end in "si" so they are reflexive.

How to conjugate a reflexive verb

To conjugate a reflexive verb you need three things:

Subject + matching reflexive pronoun + conjugated verb (in that order!!)

The subjects in Italian are:

io = I
tu = you (informal)
lui = he
lei = she
Lei = you (formal)
noi = we
voi = you (plural)
loro = they
Loro = You (plural and formal)

Now each one of the above subjects matches up with its very own reflexive pronoun:

io - mi
tu - ti
lui - si
lei - si
Lei - si
noi - ci
voi - vi
loro - si
Loro - si

Finaly you will conjugate your verb. To learn how to conjugate a verb go to the following link: Italian Presente tense | Italy

Now here are some common reflexive verbs in Italian:


Addormentarsi
To fall asleep or go to sleep

Alzarsi
To get up

Annoiarsi
To be bored

Asciugarsi
To dry off

Chiamarsi
To be called / named

Divertirsi
To enjoy oneself

Farsi la barba
To shave oneself (beard)

Farsi il bagno
To bathe oneself (take a bath)

Fermarsi
To stop

Lavarsi
To wash oneself

Leggere il giornale
To read the paper

Mettersi
To put on clothing

Mettersi a [+ inf]
To begin / start

Pettinarsi
To comb one's own hair


Preoccuparsi (di)
To worry (about)

Preparasi per [+ inf]
To prepare oneself for

Salutarsi
To greet each other (reciprocal reflexive)

Sentirsi
To feel

Svegliarsi
To wake up

Truccarsi
To put on makeup

Vestirsi
To get dressed

Let's try one: We get up


1. Identify the subject which is "we" (In Italian "noi")

2. Now match up "Noi" with the appropriate reflexive pronoun like I showed
you in the chart earlier. Noi matches up with "ci"

3. Now find the verb "to get up" from the list above. The verb is "alzarsi". Now conjugate your verb according to the subject
(noi.) Since the subject is noi, my verb ending will be "iamo" (alzarsi ---> alz ---> alziamo ) Notice how I cut off
the "arsi" from the verb alzarsi and then I added my ending "iamo".

4. Now take the three bold words from numbers 1,2,3 above and put them
together in a sentence:

Noi ci alziamo = We get up

Remember: the word order is always: Subject + pronoun + verb (in that order)

__________________
Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.

You're on a roll Giacomo.

Esercizi di conversazione:

1. Si alzi per favore. See OWL-see pair-fah-VORE-ray. Stand up please.
Che cosa ha fatto? Kay COE-sah ah FAH-toe? What did you do?
Mi sono alzato. Mee SOW-no owl-ZAH-toe. I stood up.

2. Si sieda per piacere. See see-EH-dah per pee-ah-CHAH-ray. Sit down please.
Che cosa ha fatto?
Mi sono seduto. Me SOW-no say-DUE-toh. I sat down.

3. Giacomo e Paolo, si alzino per favore. Giacomo and Paolo, stand up please.
Che cosa hanno fatto? What did you two do?
Ci siamo alzati. We stood up.

4. Si siedano per favore. See see-EH-dah-no per favore. Sit down please. (you two)

Thanks Giacomo
for the article - I will mix it with this one here
Italian Reflexive Verbs | Italy
and try to make a better large article.
P

You're welcome Paolo! It's good that you will mix the two articles. I read the article that we already have and there are some stategies for presentation in that article that are different from the ones I use. It's always good in my opinion to show readers different approaches for learning because people have different learning styles.

__________________
Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.