German reflexive pronouns are a fundamental part of German grammar and are used to indicate that the action of a verb is being performed on the subject itself. They are called "reflective" because the action "reflects" back to the subject. Learning to use them correctly is essential for mastering basic German.
In German, reflexive pronouns agree with the subject of the sentence in gender, number, and case. This means that they change form depending on whether the subject is masculine, feminine, neuter or plural, and also depending on the function of the pronoun in the sentence.
The reflexive pronouns in German in the accusative case are: "mich" (I), "dich" (you), "sich" (he, she, it), "uns" (we), "euch" (you , you) and "sich" (they, they). In the dative case, they are: "mir" (for me), "dir" (for you), "sich" (for him, her, it), "uns" (for us), "euch" (for you, you) and "sich" (for them, they).
Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs, which are verbs that indicate an action that the subject does to himself. For example, the verb "sich anziehen" means "to put on". If you want to say "I get dressed", in German you would say "Ich ziehe mich an".
In addition, reflexive pronouns are also used in idioms and sentences with a reflexive meaning. For example, "Er hat sich das Bein gebrochen" literally means "He broke his leg for himself", but the real meaning is "He broke his leg".
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It is important to note that not all verbs that use reflexive pronouns in English use reflexive pronouns in German, and vice versa. For example, in German, we don't use a reflexive pronoun with the verb "fühlen" (to feel), so we say "Ich fühle mich gut" (I feel good), not "Ich fühle gut".
Likewise, some German verbs require a reflexive pronoun even when the English equivalent does not. For example, the verb "sich erinnern" means "to remember", but we use a reflexive pronoun with it, so we say "Ich erinnere mich an dich" (I remember you), not "Ich erinnere dich".
Finally, it's important to remember that reflexive pronouns in German always come immediately after the verb in the sentence. For example, "Er putzt sich die Zähne" (He brushes his teeth), not "Er putzt die Zähne sich".
In summary, German reflexive pronouns are a crucial part of German grammar that requires practice and memorization. They are used with reflexive verbs and in idioms, and agree with the subject of the sentence in gender, number and case. Learning to use them correctly is an essential skill for any student of German.
We hope that this chapter of our Basic German e-book was useful for you. Stay tuned for the next few chapters, where we'll cover other important aspects of German grammar, such as possessive pronouns, relative pronouns, and demonstrative pronouns. Until then, keep practicing and best of luck on your journey to learn German!
