Reflexive Pronouns and Verbs in Depth

Reflexive verbs are verbs where the subject and the object are the same person or thing — the action "reflects" back onto the doer. German uses reflexive verbs much more extensively than English, so mastering them is essential.

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Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns exist in both the accusative and the dative:

Person	Accusative Reflexive	Dative Reflexive
ich	mich	mir
du	dich	dir
er/sie/es	sich	sich
wir	uns	uns
ihr	euch	euch
sie/Sie	sich	sich

Key observations:

• For ich and du, the accusative and dative reflexive pronouns are different (mich/mir, dich/dir).
• For er/sie/es, sie (plural), and Sie (formal), the reflexive pronoun is always sich — same for both accusative and dative.
• For wir and ihr, the reflexive pronoun matches the regular pronoun (uns, euch).

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Accusative vs Dative Reflexive: When to Use Which

Accusative Reflexive (No Other Accusative Object)

When the reflexive pronoun IS the direct object:

• Ich wasche mich. — I wash myself. (mich is the direct object)
• Er setzt sich. — He sits down. (sich is the direct object)
• Wir freuen uns. — We are happy / We are looking forward. (uns = accusative reflexive)

Dative Reflexive (With Another Accusative Object)

When there is ALREADY a direct object (accusative), the reflexive pronoun goes into the dative:

• Ich wasche mir die Hände. — I wash my hands. (die Hände = accusative, so reflexive = dative mir)
• Er putzt sich die Zähne. — He brushes his teeth. (die Zähne = accusative, reflexive = sich dative)
• Ich kaufe mir ein Buch. — I buy myself a book. (ein Buch = accusative, reflexive = mir)

Rule: If there is another accusative object in the sentence, the reflexive pronoun goes to the dative. If the reflexive IS the only object, it goes to the accusative.

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Common Reflexive Verbs (Accusative)

These verbs are always or typically used with an accusative reflexive pronoun: