What is a reflexive verb?

Reflexive verbs are one of those elusive concepts that simply sound like a piece of arcane knowledge lost in time to those who are unfamiliar with language. However, do not be put off by the confusing name: reflexive verbs are actually a very simple grammar point to grasp.

To put it simply, a reflexive verb is a verb where the subject and object are the same. They are created by using the subject pronoun and the relative reflexive pronoun. By their very nature, reflexive verbs are always concerned with the self, and normally to do with emotions or actions we perform.

So, let's look at the reflexive pronouns compared to the subject pronouns.


Subject pronouns                                                                        Reflexive pronouns

1st person singular: I                                                      1st person singular: myself              
2nd person singular: you                                                2nd person singular: yourself
3rd person singular: he/she/it                                          3rd person singular: himself/herself/itself
1st person plural: we                                                      1st person plural: ourselves
2nd person plural: you                                                    2nd person plural: yourselves
3rd person plural: they                                                    3rd person plural: themselves


With that in mind, all you need to do to conjugate a reflexive verb is to put the subject pronoun before it, and the reflexive pronoun after it, i.e.


Infinitive: To enjoy oneself

I enjoy myself
You enjoy yourself
He/she/it enjoys himself/herself/itself
We enjoy ourselves
You enjoy yourselves
They enjoy themselves

Or

Infinitive: To hurt oneself

I hurt myself
You hurt yourself
He/she/it hurts himself/herself/itself
We hurt ourselves
You hurt yourselves
They hurt themselves

So there we have it: a brief overview of reflexive verbs. The concept is far less frightening than it sounds, and is guaranteed to impress/bore the grammatically uninitiated and examiners.