Have you ever wondered, “What is a reflexive verb in Italian,” or why Italians say “mi chiamo” when introducing themselves? This is an example of a reflexive verb in action.

Reflexive verbs (verbi riflessivi) are verbs where the subject and object are the same – the action reflects onto the doer. In other words, the person acting also receives the action. This reflexive property is what defines a reflexive verb.

Reflexive verbs exist in English, too (e.g., I wash myself), but they are far more common in Italian. Many everyday actions that English treats as regular verbs, such as “to wake up,” are expressed in Italian with reflexive forms. For example, alzarsi means “to get up (oneself),” and svegliarsi means “to wake up (oneself).”

Mastering these reflexive constructions is important, since Italian uses them frequently for daily routine and personal actions. In this guide, we’ll explain what reflexive verbs are, how to conjugate them, and provide a useful list for beginners.

What Are Reflexive Verbs?

A reflexive verb is one in which the subject and the object of the verb are the same entity. In a reflexive construction, the action “bends back” onto the subject.

In the English sentence “She is enjoying herself,” the verb enjoy is reflexive because “she” (the subject) and “herself” (the object) refer to the same person. The key is that the action reflects on the subject (hence the term reflexive). Reflexive verbs always use a reflexive pronoun to indicate that the person performing and receiving the action are the same.

Reflexive verbs in Italian work the same way, but Italian uses them more extensively. Italian reflexive verbs use a set of special pronouns to show that the subject is acting upon itself. As an example, “Lei si veste” to mean “She gets dressed (she dresses herself).” In this sentence, “si” indicates that “lei (she)” is doing the action to herself.

How to Identify Italian Reflexive Verbs

In dictionaries or vocabulary lists, Italian reflexive verbs end in “-si”. This -si is the reflexive pronoun attached to the infinitive form of the verb. With a reflexive verb such as alzarsi, which means “to get up,” removing the -si results in the base verb “alzare.” In general, to form a reflexive infinitive from a regular verb, you remove the final -e and add “-si”.

Keep in mind that not every reflexive verb corresponds to an obvious “self-” action in English. Many reflexive Italian verbs have no direct reflexive equivalent in English, yet they are standard in Italian usage.

A classic example is rompersi, which literally means “to break (oneself).” In Italian, “il vaso si rompe,” when translated literally, means “the vase breaks itself”. In English, the translation of “il vaso si rompe” is “the vase breaks,” which does not carry the same reflexive meaning.

This is how one expresses that the vase was broken without naming a specific cause. The takeaway: whenever you see that -si ending, you’re dealing with an Italian reflexive verb, even if the translation to English isn’t a reflexive construction.

Italian Reflexive Pronouns

To use reflexive verbs, we need to pair them with the correct reflexive pronouns. The reflexive pronouns in Italian (called pronomi riflessivi) correspond to each grammatical person. They are as follows:

• mi – myself (for io, “I”)
• ti – yourself (for tu, “you” informal)
• si – himself/herself/itself (for lui/lei, “he/she/it” – also used for Lei formal “you”)
• ci – ourselves (for noi, “we”)
• vi – yourselves (for voi, “you all” plural)
• si – themselves (for loro, “they”)

As you can see, these are the reflexive pronouns Italian uses for each person. These Italian reflexive pronouns have the same function as the English pronouns “myself, yourself,” etc. When you conjugate a reflexive verb, you must include the appropriate pronoun that matches the subject.

In Italian sentence structure, the reflexive pronoun usually comes before the conjugated verb. For example, io mi lavo means “I wash myself,” where mi is the reflexive pronoun, and lavo means “I wash”. Similarly, noi ci svegliamo means “we wake up (ourselves),” with ci indicating “ourselves.”

An exception is when using an infinitive or an imperative; in those cases, the pronoun often attaches to the end of the verb, as in svegliarsi or alzati!. But in normal sentences, always put the pronoun before the verb.

How to Conjugate Italian Reflexive Verbs

The good news is that for reflexive verbs, Italian conjugation follows the same patterns as for normal verbs – you simply add the matching pronoun to the mix. In other words, even when you conjugate reflexive verbs, Italian grammar uses the usual verb endings; the only difference is that you include a reflexive pronoun.

Let’s walk through an example in the present tense. Take the verb lavarsi, which means “to wash oneself.” First, drop the -si to find the base verb (lavare, “to wash”). Then conjugate lavare as usual for each person, and finally add the matching reflexive pronoun before each form.

To conjugate Italian reflexive verbs, follow these steps: the verb part follows regular conjugation, and the pronoun matches the subject. For example, lavarsi in the present tense is conjugated as follows:

• (io) mi lavo – I wash myself
• (tu) ti lavi – you wash yourself
• (lui/lei) si lava – he/she washes himself/herself
• (noi) ci laviamo – we wash ourselves.
• (voi) vi lavate – you (plural) wash yourselves
• (loro) si lavano – they wash themselves

Notice how the verb lavare got conjugated into lavo, lavi, lava, laviamo, lavate, lavano (just like it normally would), and we simply added mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si in front of each form to make it reflexive. Another common reflexive verb is chiamarsi (“to call oneself”). For instance, “mi chiamo Marco” literally means “I call myself Marco,” which is how you say “My name is Marco.”

A few additional notes on reflexive verb usage:

• Negation: To make a reflexive verb negative, put non before the reflexive pronoun. For example: “non mi alzo” means “I do not get up.”
• Compound Tenses: In the past or other compound tenses, reflexive verbs always use essere as the auxiliary (helping) verb, never avere. For example, “I woke up” is mi sono svegliato (literally “I am woken up” using the essere verb sono). If the subject is feminine or plural, remember to make the past participle agree (e.g. mia sorella si è svegliata – my sister woke up).

Common Italian Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs are used for many routine and personal actions in Italian. Below is a list of Italian reflexive verbs that you will encounter frequently in everyday situations:

• alzarsi – to get up
• svegliarsi – to wake up
• vestirsi – to get dressed
• lavarsi – to wash oneself (wash up)
• riposarsi – to rest
• mettersi – to put on (clothes) or to begin something
• fermarsi – to stop (oneself)
• sedersi – to sit down
• divertirsi – to have fun, enjoy oneself
• addormentarsi – to fall asleep

Many of these involve daily routine activities (getting up, washing, dressing, etc.) or other self-directed actions. While there are many more reflexive verbs in Italian, these are among the most common.

An important reflexive verb for beginners is “chiamarsi,” which is used when giving your name. On the first meeting with a new acquaintance, it is normal for them to ask “Come ti chiami?,” meaning “what do you call yourself?” The proper response to the question is “Mi chiamo ___,” literally “I call myself ___”.

Other useful reflexives verbs include ones related to emotions. For example, arrabbiarsi (to get angry) or innamorarsi (to fall in love), and sentirsi (to feel) are all used for describing a person’s emotions. As you continue learning, you’ll come across more of these, and you’ll start recognizing the -si ending that marks them as reflexive.

Conclusion

Understanding reflexive verbs is a key step in mastering Italian grammar for everyday conversation. In this article, we explained what reflexive verbs are in Italian. We also discussed how reflexive pronouns work, and how to conjugate reflexive verbs in Italian.

Initially, the reflexive verbs Italian learners encounter might seem tricky, but with practice, they become second nature. By learning common Italian reflexive verbs and practicing their conjugation, you can discuss your daily routine. You can also share your feelings more naturally. With time, reflexives will become an intuitive part of your Italian toolkit.