Dutch Reflexive Verbs: zich wassen, zich voelen and Friends | A2 Dutch, Lesson 11

Welcome to lesson eleven of the A2 Dutch Grammar Course. In this lesson you will learn about reflexieve werkwoorden — reflexive verbs. A reflexive verb is a verb where the subject and the object are the same person. In English you see this with words like myself, yourself, himself — I wash myself, he shaves himself. In Dutch you use short reflexive pronouns: me, je, zich, and ons. You will learn when to use which pronoun, which verbs always require a reflexive pronoun, and when the same verb can be used with or without one.

De wederkerende voornaamwoorden

Dutch has a short set of reflexive pronouns. For ik, the reflexive pronoun is me. For jij and je, it is je. For u, hij, zij singular, and zij plural, it is zich. For wij and we, it is ons. For jullie, it is je. The pattern is straightforward once you see it: ik gets me, the jij and jullie group gets je, and all the third-person and formal forms get zich — except wij, which gets ons. Let's see this with the verb zich vergissen — to make a mistake. Ik vergis me nooit — I never make a mistake. Jij vergist je soms — You sometimes make a mistake. Hij vergist zich soms. Wij vergissen ons wel eens. Jullie vergissen je meestal. Zij vergissen zich altijd.

Wederkerende werkwoorden — altijd reflexief

Some verbs are always reflexive — they must always appear with a reflexive pronoun. In the dictionary these verbs are listed with zich to signal this. Zich vergissen — to make a mistake. Zich herinneren — to remember. Zich schamen — to be ashamed. Zich vervelen — to be bored. Zich haasten — to hurry. Zich voelen — to feel. Zich aanmelden — to register. In the meanings shown here, these verbs require a reflexive pronoun. Ze herinnert zich die dag nog goed — She still remembers that day well. Ik schaam me diep — I am deeply ashamed. Voelt u zich beter? — Do you feel better? Note how the pronoun changes with each subject: me for ik, je for jij, zich for hij, zij, and u.

Woordvolgorde: voornaamwoord na het werkwoord

The position of the reflexive pronoun follows a clear pattern. In a statement, the subject is in position one, the finite verb in position two, and the reflexive pronoun immediately follows in position three. Ik vergis me nooit. With a modal verb, the reflexive pronoun goes after the finite verb — the modal — and the infinitive stays at the end. Ze moet zich haasten. Wij kunnen ons dat goed herinneren. With inversion — in a question or when a time expression starts the sentence — the reflexive pronoun goes after the subject. Vergist hij zich soms? — Does he sometimes make a mistake? Elke ochtend haast ik me. — Every morning I hurry. And remember the t-drop rule in questions: when jij or je follows the verb, the t drops. Vergis jij je? — not vergist jij je.

Per ongeluk wederkerend

Some Dutch verbs can be both reflexive and non-reflexive, depending on who is being acted upon. When the subject is acting on itself, you use a reflexive pronoun. When the subject is acting on someone else, you use a normal object. Hij wast zich — He washes himself. But hij wast de hond — He washes the dog. Hij scheert zich versus de kapper scheert de klant. Ik snijd me in mijn vinger — I cut my finger — versus ik snijd de groente — I cut the vegetables. Ik kleed me aan — I get dressed — versus ik kleed de baby aan — I dress the baby. The simple guide is this: is the subject acting on itself? Use the reflexive pronoun. Is the subject acting on someone else? Use a regular object.

Wat heb je geleerd?

Let's review. The reflexive pronouns: me for ik, je for jij and jullie, zich for u, hij, zij, and zij plural, and ons for wij. Common reflexive verbs require a reflexive pronoun in the meanings shown — zich vergissen, zich herinneren, zich schamen, zich vervelen, zich haasten, zich voelen. The word order rule: the reflexive pronoun goes directly after the finite verb in a statement. With a modal verb, it goes after the modal. With inversion, it goes after the subject. And some verbs can be reflexive or not depending on whether the subject is acting on itself or on someone else — hij wast zich versus hij wast de hond.

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