Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs are verbs where the subject performs an action on itself. In Italian, reflexive verbs are easily recognised in their infinitive form by the pronoun -si attached to the end (after removing the final -e): alzarsi (to get up), lavarsi (to wash oneself), vestirsi (to get dressed).

Reflexive verbs are much more common in Italian than in English and are essential for describing daily routines.

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Reflexive Pronouns

Each subject has a corresponding reflexive pronoun:

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun	English
io	mi	myself
tu	ti	yourself
lui / lei / Lei	si	himself / herself / yourself (formal)
noi	ci	ourselves
voi	vi	yourselves
loro	si	themselves

Tip: The reflexive pronoun is placed before the conjugated verb in Italian: Mi alzo (I get up), NOT Alzo mi.

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Conjugating Reflexive Verbs

The verb itself is conjugated normally — you simply add the reflexive pronoun before it.

alzarsi (to get up) — regular -ARE

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun + Verb	Translation
io	mi alzo	I get up
tu	ti alzi	you get up
lui / lei	si alza	he/she gets up
noi	ci alziamo	we get up
voi	vi alzate	you all get up
loro	si alzano	they get up

lavarsi (to wash oneself) — regular -ARE

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun + Verb	Translation
io	mi lavo	I wash (myself)
tu	ti lavi	you wash (yourself)
lui / lei	si lava	he/she washes
noi	ci laviamo	we wash
voi	vi lavate	you all wash
loro	si lavano	they wash

vestirsi (to get dressed) — regular -IRE

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun + Verb	Translation
io	mi vesto	I get dressed
tu	ti vesti	you get dressed
lui / lei	si veste	he/she gets dressed
noi	ci vestiamo	we get dressed
voi	vi vestite	you all get dressed
loro	si vestono	they get dressed

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Common Reflexive Verbs for Daily Routines

Infinitive	English	Example
svegliarsi	to wake up	Mi sveglio alle sei.
alzarsi	to get up	Ti alzi presto?
lavarsi	to wash oneself	Si lava le mani.
farsi la doccia	to take a shower	Mi faccio la doccia.
pettinarsi	to comb one's hair	Si pettina davanti allo specchio.
vestirsi	to get dressed	Ci vestiamo in fretta.
truccarsi	to put on makeup	Si trucca ogni mattina.
radersi / farsi la barba	to shave	Si rade prima di uscire.
sedersi	to sit down	Mi siedo sul divano.
addormentarsi	to fall asleep	I bambini si addormentano alle nove.
sentirsi	to feel	Mi sento bene oggi.
chiamarsi	to be called (named)	Come ti chiami?
prepararsi	to get ready	Vi preparate per la festa?
divertirsi	to enjoy oneself	Ci divertiamo molto.
annoiarsi	to get bored	Si annoiano a lezione.

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A Typical Morning Routine

Mi sveglio alle sei e mezza.
(I wake up at six thirty.)

Mi alzo subito e mi faccio la doccia.
(I get up right away and take a shower.)

Mi lavo i capelli e mi pettino.
(I wash my hair and comb it.)

Mi vesto e mi trucco.
(I get dressed and put on makeup.)

Mi siedo a tavola e faccio colazione.
(I sit down at the table and have breakfast.)