Dative Reflexives: mir / dir

Dative Reflexives: Mir and Dir

Level 3

If the sentence already has an object, say mir and dir instead of mech and dech: Ech wäsche mir d'Hänn. (I wash my hands.)

How It Works

1. Accusative or dative?
A reflexive verb normally uses mech and dech. When the verb also has a direct object, that object takes the accusative, and the reflexive moves to the dative:

  • Ech wäsche mech. (I wash myself.)
  • Ech wäsche mir d'Hänn. (I wash my hands.)

2. Which forms change

  • ech: mech → mir (short form mer)
  • du: dech → dir (short form der)
  • hien, hatt, si, et: sech in both cases: Hie wäscht sech d'Hänn.
  • mir: eis; dir: iech (polite Iech); si: sech, all the same in both cases.

These are the same words as the dative pronouns, except that the third person uses sech. The short forms mer and der are very common: Ech hu mer den Aarm gebrach. See Short Unstressed Pronouns.

3. Your own body
For your own body, Luxembourgish uses the dative reflexive with the article, not a possessive: Ech wäsche mir d'Hänn (I wash my hands), Ech hu mer den Aarm gebrach (I broke my arm).

4. Common expressions

  • sech Suerge maachen: Du méchs dir Suergen. Maach der keng Suergen! (Don't worry!)
  • sech eppes virstellen: Stell der vir, ...! (Imagine ...!)
  • sech eppes kafen: Ech kafe mir en neie Vëlo. (I am buying myself a new bike.)

5. With loossen
The dative reflexive also appears with loossen: Hues du dir d'Hoer schneide gelooss?

Examples (6)

  1. Ech wäsche mir d'Hänn.

    I wash my hands.

    D'Hänn is the direct object, so ech takes mir, not mech.

  2. Hie wäscht sech d'Hänn.

    He washes his hands.

    The third person keeps sech.

  3. Du méchs dir Suergen.

    You're worrying.

    Suergen is the object of maachen, so du takes dir.

  4. Ech hu mer den Aarm gebrach.

    I broke my arm.

    Mer is the short form of mir. The body part takes the article, not mäin.

  5. Stell der vir, mir hunn eng Rees gewonnen!

    Imagine, we've won a trip!

    Sech eppes virstellen always takes the dative: der is the short form of dir.

  6. Ech kafe mir en neie Vëlo.

    I'm buying myself a new bike.

    Neien loses its n before V.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative mech when there is already a direct object.

    Ech wäsche mech d'Hänn.
    Ech wäsche mir d'Hänn.

    D'Hänn is the direct object, so the reflexive must be dative: mir.

  • Using the accusative dech in sech Suerge maachen.

    Maach dech keng Suergen!
    Maach der keng Suergen!

    Suergen is the direct object, so the reflexive for du is dir (short form der).

  • Using him for the same person (intended meaning: he washes his own hands).

    Hie wäscht him d'Hänn.
    Hie wäscht sech d'Hänn.

    Him refers to another man, so the first sentence means he washes someone else's hands. For the same person, use sech.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Dative Reflexives: mir / dirLevel 3Dative Reflexives: Mir and Dir

Learn This First

Before Dative Reflexives: Mir and Dir, learn Reflexive Verbs With Sech and Dative Pronouns.

Words in This Pattern

mirsecheisiechder