Appendix G
Le Pronominal 'optionnel' ('accidentel'):
(Quelques exemples, et cas spéciaux)
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Le Pronominal optionnel (accidentel) |
Any action that can be done to oneself (réfléchi – reflexive), or by more than one subject to each other (réciproque – reciprocal), can operate in the French pronominal format simply by adding the appropriate mirror pronoun – me, te, se, nous, vous, and se – (fully illustrated in Appendix D).
As can be expected, many French verbs can take on these reflexive (direct or indirect) or reciprocal (direct or indirect) meanings.
The list below (non-exhaustive) contains samples of the 'Verbes pronominaux optionnels' – also called pronominaux accidentels – (French verbs which keep their normal meaning while adding a reflexive or reciprocal direction).
The "se" or "s'" in the list represents the mirror pronoun.
The mirror pronouns are:
me / m' for je,
te / t' for tu,
se / s' for il, elle, or on,
nous for nous,
vous for vous, and
se / s' for ils or elles
The list also shows:
* English meanings (when used in the pronominal format)
* Whether the verb functions reflexively (réfléchi) or reciprocally (réciproque)
* Whether it takes a direct or indirect object
French |
English meaning when used in the pronominal format |
Réfléchi |
Réciproque |
||
Infinitif |
direct |
indirect |
direct |
indirect |
|
s'appeler |
to call oneself / to call one another |
* |
* |
||
s'attaquer |
to attack each other |
* |
|||
se blesser |
to hurt oneself, to get hurt |
* |
* | ||
se bouleverser |
to overwhelm each other |
* |
|||
se chercher |
to look for one another |
* |
|||
se consulter |
to consult one another |
* |
|||
se contredire |
to contradict each other |
* |
|||
se croiser |
to cross one another's path |
* |
|||
se dénoncer |
to denounce one another |
* |
|||
se déplaire |
to displease one another |
* |
|||
se détecter |
to detect one another |
* |
|||
se discipliner |
to discipline oneself |
* |
|||
se disputer |
to argue with each other |
* |
|||
se dissocier |
to dissasociate, distance oneself from |
* |
* |
||
se distraire |
to distract one another |
* |
|||
se dissuader |
to dissuade oneself or one another |
* |
* |
||
s'écouter |
to listen to oneself or to each other |
* |
* |
||
s'écrire |
to write to oneself or to each other |
* |
* |
||
s'embrasser |
to embrace each other |
* |
|||
s'énerver |
to become annoyed, or to annoy one another |
* |
* |
||
s'envoyer (qch) |
to send (something) to oneself or to one another |
* |
* |
||
s'étonner |
to astonish one another |
* |
* |
||
se frapper |
to hit oneself or one another |
* |
* |
||
se fréquenter |
to date each other |
* |
|||
s'identifier |
to identify oneself or each other |
* |
* |
||
s'inviter |
to invite oneself or each other |
* |
* |
||
se laver |
to wash oeneself |
* |
|||
se libérer |
to free oneself or one another |
* |
* |
||
se neutraliser |
to neutralise oneself or each other |
* |
* |
||
s'observer |
to observe oneself or one another |
* |
* |
||
se parler |
to talk to oneself or to each other |
* |
* |
||
se parrainer |
to sponsor one another |
* |
|||
se présenter |
to introduce oneself or each other |
* |
* |
||
se proposer |
to propose (something) to one another |
* | |||
se rappeler |
to recall, to remember, to call each other back |
* |
* |
||
se résister |
to resist each other |
* |
|||
se servir |
to serve oneself or each other |
* |
* |
||
se taquiner |
to tease each other |
* |
|||
se téléphoner |
to phone one another |
* |
|||
se voir |
to see oneself or one another |
* |
* |