34.1 Reflexive Commands
Reflexive verbs use the same imperative forms you learned earlier. The only added step is placing the reflexive pronoun correctly.
Habille-toi !
Get dressed!
Ne t'habille pas !
Don't get dressed!
Affirmative and negative commands handle that pronoun differently, so let's look at each one.
34.2 Affirmative Reflexive Commands
As you learned with other pronouns, reflexive pronouns follow the verb in affirmative commands and attach with a hyphen. You've already seen that te becomes toi in this position, so the forms you'll use are:
| Form | Reflexive pronoun |
|---|---|
| tu | toi |
| nous | nous |
| vous | vous |
Then your full conjugations look like this:
34.3 Negative Reflexive Commands
In a negative command, the reflexive pronoun returns to its normal position before the verb, inside ne...pas.
Ne te baigne pas !
Don't go swimming!
So for comparison:
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Lave-toi ! | Ne te lave pas ! |
| Lavons-nous ! | Ne nous lavons pas ! |
| Lavez-vous ! | Ne vous lavez pas ! |
34.4 Using Reflexive Commands
Here are some real-life examples of the reflexive imperative in action:
Brosse-toi les dents avant de te coucher.
Brush your teeth before going to bed.
Baignons-nous à la plage.
Let's go swimming at the beach.
Rappelez-vous que les courants sont forts.
Remember that the currents are strong.
Ne vous approchez pas du bord.
Don't go near the edge.
Practice Time!
Master these verb conjugations from Lesson 34