Reflexive verbs, which indicate that the subject is performing the action on themselves, can be a bit tricky when it comes to participle agreement in certain tenses. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at reflexive verbs and the rules behind participle agreement.
First, let’s define what we mean by participle agreement. In many languages, participles change their form depending on the gender and number of the subject they are paired with. In French, for example, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject when it is used in compound tenses such as passé composé. In English, participles don’t change form based on the subject, but they can still be affected by the use of reflexive verbs.
In French, reflexive verbs are formed by adding the reflexive pronoun se or s’ before the infinitive form of the verb. For example, se laver means “to wash oneself,” while s’habiller means “to dress oneself.” In compound tenses like passé composé, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, just like with other regular verbs.
However, there is a catch with reflexive verbs. When the reflexive pronoun se is the direct object of the verb, the past participle agreement changes. In this case, the past participle must agree with the gender and number of the reflexive pronoun, not the subject.
Let’s look at an example to illustrate this point. Consider the reflexive verb se promener, which means “to take a walk.” In the present tense, it looks like this:
Je me promène – I take a walk
Tu te promènes – You take a walk
Il/elle/on se promène – He/she/one takes a walk
Nous nous promenons – We take a walk
Vous vous promenez – You all take a walk
Ils/elles se promènent – They take a walk
Now let’s consider the passé composé, which is formed using the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle. When the reflexive pronoun se is the direct object of the verb, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the reflexive pronoun:
Je me suis promené(e) – I took a walk
Tu t’es promené(e) – You took a walk
Il/elle/on s’est promené(e) – He/she/one took a walk
Nous nous sommes promené(e)s – We took a walk
Vous vous êtes promené(e)s – You all took a walk
Ils/elles se sont promené(e)s – They took a walk
Note the agreement of the past participle promené(e) with the reflexive pronoun in each case.
In summary, reflexive verbs can complicate participle agreement in French. When the reflexive pronoun is the direct object of the verb, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the reflexive pronoun, not the subject. Keep this in mind when using reflexive verbs in compound tenses like passé composé. By following these rules, you can ensure that your French writing is accurate and grammatically correct.