Reflexive verbs

Level 2

Use jag–mig, du–dig, han/hon/den/det/de–sig, vi–oss, and ni–er in the basic patterns. Learn the whole verb expression: lära sig, känna sig, gifta sig.

How It Works

Some reflexive constructions describe an action directed back at the subject; others are established combinations with their own meaning. Choose the pronoun for the subject of the relevant action. The verb can be regular or irregular, and the pronoun need not stand immediately after it.

Here are the reflexive pronouns corresponding to the subject pronouns:

  • jag → mig (myself)
  • du → dig (yourself)
  • han/hon/den/det → sig (himself/herself/itself)
  • vi → oss (ourselves)
  • ni → er (yourselves)
  • de → sig (themselves)

Notice that the key pronoun sig is used for all third-person subjects, both singular and plural. This is different from English.

Many common actions are reflexive in Swedish:

  • lära sig - to learn (lit. to teach oneself)
  • sätta sig - to sit down (lit. to set oneself down)
  • lägga sig - to go to bed (lit. to lay oneself down)
  • känna sig - to feel (a certain way)
  • gifta sig - to get married

Some verbs can be used both reflexively and non-reflexively, which changes the meaning.
Non-reflexive: Jag tvättar bilen. (I am washing the car.)
Reflexive: Jag tvättar mig. (I am washing myself.)

Whose Action?
In Jag bad henne att sätta sig, the person sitting down is henne, so sig refers to her, not to the main subject jag. In a simple clause the subject normally provides the reference, but longer constructions require you to identify the actor of the relevant verb.

Many reflexive verb expressions cannot be translated word for word. De gifte sig means they got married, not that they performed a marriage ceremony on themselves.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag lär mig svenska.

    I am learning Swedish.

    Word by Word: I teach myself Swedish.

    The verb 'lära sig' (to learn) is reflexive. Since the subject is 'jag' (I), the reflexive pronoun is 'mig' (myself).

  2. Han sätter sig på stolen.

    He sits down on the chair.

    Word by Word: He sets himself on the chair.

    'sätta sig' means 'to sit down'. The subject 'han' (he) requires the third-person reflexive pronoun 'sig'.

  3. Vi måste skynda oss till tåget.

    We have to hurry to the train.

    Word by Word: We must hurry ourselves to the train.

    The subject 'vi' (we) is paired with the reflexive pronoun 'oss' (ourselves).

  4. De gifte sig förra året.

    They got married last year.

    Word by Word: They married [reflexive construction] last year.

    Even though the subject 'de' (they) is plural, the third-person reflexive pronoun is still 'sig'.

  5. Känner du dig trött idag?

    Do you feel tired today?

    Word by Word: Feel you yourself tired today?

    In this question, the order is finite verb känner, subject du, then reflexive dig. The pronoun matches the subject but is not immediately adjacent to the verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a pronoun for someone else when the cat itself is intended.

    Katten tvättar honom. (Intended: The cat washes itself.)
    Katten tvättar sig.

    The first sentence is grammatical when the cat washes someone else. For the intended self-directed action, use sig; honom refers to a different male referent in this ordinary construction.

  • Forgetting the reflexive pronoun with verbs that require it.

    Jag måste koncentrera.
    Jag måste koncentrera mig.

    For the intended meaning “I need to concentrate”, use koncentrera mig. Koncentrera also has nonreflexive uses with an object, such as koncentrera uppmärksamheten på uppgiften; the pronoun is required by the particular meaning here, not by every use of the verb.

How It Connects

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

Reflexive verbsLevel 2

Learn This First

To learn reflexive verbs, you first need to understand how to conjugate basic verbs. You also need to be familiar with object pronouns, as the reflexive forms for 'I', 'you', 'we', and 'you (plural)' are the same as the object forms. Finally, you must understand the specific reflexive pronoun 'sig', which is used for third-person subjects.

Words in This Pattern

sigmigosser