Reflexive verb - Wederkerend werkwoord
Introduction
One way of looking at verbs is to divide them into transitive verbs, which take an object, and intransitive verbs, which do not. A third group of verbs are reflexive verbs. They can be described as a very special kind of transitive verb in that they do take an object. However, the object and subject of a reflexive verb refer to the same person:
| Ik voel me misselijk. |
I am feeling nauseous. |
In this example, ik is the subject and me is the object, and both refer to the first person singular.
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Formation
The object of a reflexive verb is always expressed as a pronoun. The reflexive pronoun is in most cases equivalent to the unstressed object pronoun (except in the third person and the formal second person):
| personal pronoun subject- stressed |
personal pronoun object - stressed |
personal pronoun object – unstressed |
reflexive pronoun |
| ik |
mij |
me |
me |
| jij |
jou |
je |
je |
| u |
u |
u |
u / zich |
| hij |
hem |
(‘m) |
zich |
| zij |
haar |
(d'r) |
zich |
| wij |
ons |
ons |
ons |
| jullie |
jullie |
je |
je |
| u |
u |
u |
u / zich |
| zij |
hen/hen/die |
ze |
zich |
The examples below show how the reflexive pronouns behave when used with the reflexive verb zich voelen (to feel):
| Ik voel me geweldig. |
I feel great. |
| Voel jij je ook ziek? |
Do you feel ill too? |
| Voelt u zich al beter? |
Are you (formal) feeling better yet? |
| Sara voelt zich het minst ziek. |
Sara feels the least ill. |
| Wij voelen ons helemaal beter. |
We all feel completely better. |
| Jullie voelen je ook niet lekker. |
You (plural) don't feel well either. |
| Zij voelen zich prima. |
They feel fine. |
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Use
Some verbs can be used as a reflexive verb or as a transitive verb. The verb wassen is an example of this:
| Esther wast haar gezicht (transitive) |
Esther washes her face. |
| Esther wast zich. (reflexive) |
Esther washes herself. |
Some other commonly reflexive verbs are: zich vervelen (‘to be bored'), zich herinneren (‘to remember'), and zich zorgen maken (over) (‘to worry about'):
- 1. Luuk zal zich waarschijnlijk vervelen in het museum.
- Luuk will probably be bored in the museum.
-
- 2. Herinneren jullie je die leuke vakantie in de Ardennen?
- Do you remember that nice holiday in the Ardennes?
-
- 3. Ik heb me nooit zorgen gemaakt over mijn zoon.
- I have never worried about my son.
-
- 4. Maak je daar maar geen zorgen over.
- Don't you worry about that.
These examples illustrate that a reflexive pronoun normally occurs in the same position as the object in a sentence with a transitive verb, as in:
| Peter wast zijn auto elke zondag. |
Peter washes his car every Sunday. |
| Peter wast zich twee keer per dag. |
Peter washes himself twice a day. |
If a reflexive verb takes an object in addition to the reflexive pronoun, the reflexive pronoun occurs immediately before or after the object. It will occur
- before the object if the object is a noun group or stressed pronoun;
- after the object if the object is an unstressed pronoun.
- Rik herinnert zich die leuke vakantie in de Ardennen. (noun group)
- Rik remembers that nice holiday in the Ardennes.
- Zijn zus herinnert zich dat niet. (stressed pronoun)
- His sister does not remember that.
- Zijn ouders herinneren het zich heel goed! (unstressed pronoun)
- His parents remember it very well!
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