On this page
The German language has many different pronouns for every occasion and situation. In English we use them too, but make do with far fewer of them. But don´t be intimidated. It is very likely, that you have come across and even used them already.
In this article, we’ll take a look at German reflexive pronouns—what they are, and how you can use them.
The German reflexive pronouns in brief
In the everyday constructions in this guide, reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject. We focus on the common accusative and dative forms. More advanced constructions can behave differently, and rare genitive reflexive uses also exist.
Don´t worry if you are not familiar with some of the grammatical terms, we will look at each one in detail.
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is usually specific to subjects or objects (nouns). Pronouns are used to define or even replace the subject of a sentence.
| personal pronoun | Ich sehe einen Film. | I watch a movie. |
| reflexive pronoun | Ich sehe mich im Spiegel. | I watch myself in the mirror. |
| possessive pronoun | Das ist meiner. | That is mine. |
| demonstrative pronoun | Dieser gefällt mir. | This one I like. |
| relative pronoun | Der Film, den ich sehe… | The film, that I watch… |
| interrogative pronoun | Welcher ist dein Hut? | Which one is your hat? |
What are reflexive verbs?
Before we get to the reflexive pronouns, we have to talk about reflexive verbs, because they are intrinsically linked. In English these are usually verbs combined with words ending in -self, or -selves.
To bore oneself. You amuse yourself. They behaved themselves.
True reflexive verbs & pronouns
Some German verbs require a reflexive pronoun in a particular meaning. Learn them as a unit, such as sich beeilen — to hurry. Conjugate the verb and match the pronoun to the subject: Ich beeile mich. Du beeilst dich. Er beeilt sich. In this meaning, Ich beeile is incomplete, and Ich beeile den Hund is not a standard substitute.
Optional reflexive verbs & pronouns
These are verbs, where the reflexive pronoun is just an optional addition. The verb can also be used without the pronoun, and the pronoun can also be replaced with another word.
| malen | Ich male mich | Ich male | Ich male den Hund |
| to paint | I paint a picture of myself | I paint | I paint a picture of the dog |
Useful verbs in reflexive constructions
Physical/emotional
| sich ausruhen | to rest |
| sich erholen | to recover |
| sich erkälten | to get a cold |
| sich krank/gut/schlecht fühlen | to feel sick/good/bad |
| sich sehnen nach | to long for |
| sich schämen | to be ashamed, to be embarrassed |
| sich sorgen um | to be worried about |
Human interaction
| sich anfreunden | to befriend |
| sich kümmern um | to look after |
| sich streiten | to argue |
| sich verabreden | to arrange to meet |
| sich verhalten | to act, to behave |
| sich verstehen | to get along |
| sich vertragen | to get along; to reconcile (context-dependent) |
Opinion/decision making
| sich einigen auf | to agree on something |
| sich entscheiden für/gegen | to decide for/against; to choose/reject something |
| sich irren | to err |
Work
| sich bewerben | to apply for |
| sich eignen für/zu | to be suited for/to |
Communication/verbal interaction
| sich bedanken bei | to thank someone |
| sich beklagen | to complain |
| sich beschweren | to complain |
| sich erkundigen | to inquire |
| sich weigern | to refuse |
Others
| sich befinden | to be located |
| sich ereignen | to happen |
German reflexive pronouns in dative and accusative
Good news, if you already know personal pronouns—the reflexive form nearly always closely relates to the personal. Irregular exceptions are:
third-person singular (er/sie/es and sich) and
third-person plural and formal address (sie/Sie and sich)
| reflexive pronouns | ||
| Dative | Accusative | |
| ich | mir | mich |
| du | dir | dich |
| er/sie/es | sich | sich |
| wir | uns | uns |
| ihr | euch | euch |
| sie/Sie | sich | sich |
Choosing the correct case and forming sentences
The reflexive pronoun always relates to the subject.
Deciding whether to use the reflexive pronoun in the dative or accusative case is actually easy.
Learn the case required by the construction. Whether a pronoun can be omitted or replaced does not determine its case. For example, Ich wasche mich and Ich wasche das Kind both use an accusative object.
Compare Ich wasche mich. — I wash myself (accusative), with Ich wasche mir die Hände. — I wash my hands (die Hände is the accusative object and mir is dative). Some obligatory reflexive constructions take dative, such as Ich merke mir das Wort. — I memorize the word. Learn each verb with its pattern.
| dative Ich kaufe mir ein Eis. I buy myself an ice-cream. |
Ich kaufe nichts. I buy nothing. |
accusative Ich streite mich. I argue. |
| Du kaufst dir ein Fahrrad. You buy yourself a bike. |
Du kaufst dem Kind ein Fahrrad. You buy the child a bike. |
Du streitest dich jeden Tag. You argue every day. |
| Er kauft sich ein Geschenk He buys himself a present. |
Er kauft ein Geschenk. He buys a present. |
Er streitet sich nicht. He does not argue. |
| Wir kaufen uns ein Haus. We buy ourselves a house. |
Wir kaufen viel. We buy a lot. |
Wir streiten uns mit dir. We argue with you. |
| Ihr kauft euch ein Auto. You buy yourself a car. |
Ihr kauft ein Auto. You buy a car. |
Ihr streitet euch ungern. You argue reluctantly. |
| Sie kaufen sich alles. They buy themselves everything |
Sie kaufen alles. They buy everything. |
Sie streiten sich oft. They argue often. |
Oddity: reciprocal verbs and pronouns
A plural reflexive form can have a reciprocal meaning: Wir verstehen uns. can mean “We understand each other” or “We get along.” Context tells you whether the meaning is reflexive or reciprocal.
A verb such as verstehen is not exclusively reciprocal: Ich verstehe den Satz. means “I understand the sentence.” Einander can make “each other” explicit: Wir helfen einander. — We help each other.
Reciprocal use
| Die Frauen haben sich verstanden. | The women understood each other. |
Optional reciprocal verbs
| Die Geschwister ähneln sich. (reciprocal) | The siblings look like each other. |
| Das Kind ähnelt der Mutter. (non-reciprocal) | The child looks like the mother. |
Conclusion
Some verbs require a reflexive pronoun in a particular meaning; other verbs can take either a reflexive object or a different object. Learn the meaning and case of the complete construction. If you start learning the infinitive forms of reflexive verbs including the word sich, you quickly gain more confidence in using them.
In the everyday examples here, the reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject and uses the dative or accusative required by its construction. They are easy to mix up, but not difficult to learn. Don´t be afraid to make mistakes, and start to enjoy these quirks of the German language.
Practice the case
Ich wasche ___ . (myself) / Ich wasche ___ die Hände. (my hands) / Wir streiten uns ___ dir. (with you)
Check the answers
mich (accusative), mir (dative), mit (preposition).
