Present Tense: Exercises
Present tense of reflexive verbs taking an accusative pronoun
The present tense of a reflexive verb consists of a verb with the normal present tense endings followed by the reflexive pronoun in the appropriate case. Here is the present tense of a reflexive verb which takes a reflexive pronoun in the accusative case:
Table 1: Present tense of "sich rasieren" |
Singular |
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ich rasiere mich |
I shave myself |
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du rasierst dich Sie rasieren sich |
You shave yourself (informal/formal) |
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er rasiert sich |
He shaves himself |
Plural |
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|
wir rasieren uns |
We shave ourselves |
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ihr rasiert euch Sie rasieren sich |
You shave yourselves (informal/formal) |
|
sie rasieren sich |
They shave themselves |
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If the reflexive verb is also separable, then the separable prefix of the verb will follow the pronoun (and any other elements of the clause).
Table 2: Present tense of "sich anziehen" |
Singular |
|
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ich ziehe mich an |
I get dressed |
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du ziehst dich an Sie ziehen sich an |
You get dressed (informal/formal) |
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er/sie/es zieht sich an |
He/she/it gets dressed |
Plural |
|
|
wir ziehen uns an |
We get dressed |
|
ihr zieht euch an Sie ziehen sich an |
You get dressed (informal/formal) |
|
sie ziehen sich an |
They get dressed |
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Present tense of reflexive verbs with a modal verb
When reflexive verbs are preceded by a modal verb, the infinitive of the verb itself is used, but the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the verb. The reflexive pronoun in such cases is identical to the appropriate pronoun in the present tense of the reflexive verb:
Table 3: Present tense of modal + reflexive verb |
Singular |
|
|
ich muss mich waschen |
I must have a wash |
|
du musst dich waschen Sie müssen sich waschen |
You must have a wash (informal/formal) |
|
er muss sich waschen |
He must have a wash |
Plural |
|
|
wir müssen uns waschen |
We must have a wash |
|
ihr müsst euch waschen Sie müssen sich waschen |
You must have a wash (informal/formal) |
|
sie müssen sich waschen |
They must have a wash |
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Present tense of reflexive verbs taking a dative pronoun
A number of verbs use the reflexive pronoun in the dative case. Only two of the dative reflexive pronouns are different from their equivalent accusative reflexive pronoun. These are mich and dich which become mir and dir respectively.
Here is the present tense of sich vorstellen, a separable verb which takes a reflexive pronoun in the dative case when it means "to imagine":
Table 4: Present tense of "sich vorstellen" |
Singular |
|
|
ich stelle mir vor |
I imagine |
|
du stellst dir vor Sie stellen sich vor |
You imagine (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie stellt sich vor |
He/she imagines |
Plural |
|
|
wir stellen uns vor |
We imagine |
|
ihr stellt euch vor Sie stellen sich vor |
You imagine (informal/formal) |
|
sie stellen sich vor |
They imagine |
|
Reflexive verbs concerning the body
The dative reflexive pronoun is used in German with certain verbs when they refer to doing things to parts of the body (sich waschen) and putting on or taking off articles of clothing (sich anziehen, sich ausziehen).
The dative reflexive pronoun must be used when you specify which part of your body you are washing or which article of clothing you are putting on or taking off. Furthermore, the definite article is used to refer to the specific part of the body, whereas in English the possessive (my, your, his etc.) is used. It is therefore the task of the dative reflexive pronoun to indicate possession.
Table 5: Dative reflexive pronouns |
|
ich wasche mir die Hände |
I wash my hands |
|
du wäscht dir das Gesicht |
You wash your face |
|
ich ziehe mir das Hemd an |
I put my shirt on |
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du ziehst dir die Schuhe aus |
You take your shoes off |
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Great care must therefore be taken to distinguish between the following pairs of verbs:
- Ich wasche mich. (I'm having a wash.)
- Ich wasche mir die Hände. (I'm washing my hands.)
- Du ziehst dich an. (You get dressed.)
- Du ziehst dir die Hose an. (You put your trousers on.)
The same construction is also used in German to translate "to clean one's teeth". The full present tense of this construction is given below.
Table 6: Present tense of "sich die Zähne putzen" |
Singular |
|
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ich putze mir die Zähne |
I clean my teeth |
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du putzt dir die Zähne
Sie putzen sich die Zähne |
You clean your teeth (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie putzt sich die Zähne |
He/she cleans her teeth |
Plural |
|
|
wir putzen uns die Zähne |
We clean our teeth |
|
ihr putzt euch die Zähne
Sie putzen sich die Zähne |
You clean your teeth (informal/formal) |
|
sie putzen sich die Zähne |
They clean their teeth |
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Test yourself!
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German Future Tense
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