What is a reflexive verb (verbo riflessivo)? A verb is reflexive when the action carried out by the subject is performed on the same subject. Not all verbs are reflexive. In order to make a verb reflexive, drop the -e of its infinitive ending and add the pronoun si. For example, pettinare (to comb) becomes pettinarsi (to comb oneself) in the reflexive. Si is an additional pronoun, known as the reflexive pronoun, which is needed when conjugating reflexive verbs.

The reflexive pronouns (i pronomi reflessivi), mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si, are identical in form to direct object pronouns, except for the third-person form si (which is the same in the singular and in the plural). The following table includes the reflexive pronouns in Italian.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

PERSON

SINGULAR

PLURAL

I

mi (myself)

ci (ourselves)

II

ti (yourself)

vi (yourselves)

III

si (himself; herself; itself; yourself, formal)

si (themselves; yourselves, formal)

To see how reflexive pronouns work with verbs, see a sample conjugation of lavarsi (to wash oneself) in the table below.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB LAVARSI (TO WASH ONESELF)

PERSON

SINGULAR

PLURAL

I

(io) mi lavo

(noi) ci laviamo

II

(tu) ti lavi

(voi) vi lavate

III

(lui, lei, Lei) si lava

(loro, Loro) si lavano

Just like direct object pronouns, reflexive pronouns are placed before a conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive. Note that the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject even when attached to the infinitive:

Mi alzo. (I’m getting up.)

Voglio alzarmi./Mi voglio alzare. (I want to get up.)