Reflexive verbs in the accusative and dative
Reflexive verbs are formed with a reflexive pronoun, for example mich (myself, accusative), dich (yourself, accusative), mir (myself, dative), dir (yourself, dative), uns (ourselves), or euch (yourselves). The reflexive pronoun comes after the verb.
Sigi rasiert sich.
Sigi is shaving (himself).
Wir verlieben uns.
We are falling in love (with each other).
The reflexive pronoun can be in the accusative Akkusativ or dative Dativ:
| Akkusativ | Dativ |
|---|---|
| ich mich | ich mir |
| du dich | du dir |
| er/sie/es sich | er/sie/es sich |
| wir uns | wir uns |
| ihr euch | ihr euch |
| sie/Sie sich | sie/Sie sich |
Ihr wünscht euch 100.000 Euro.
You wish you had 100,000 euros (euch = dative).
Du wäschst dir die Haare.
You are washing your hair (dir = dative).
Magda kauft sich eine Gitarre.
Magda is buying herself a guitar (sich = dative).
Notes:
- Reflexive verbs take haben (to have) in the perfect tense.
Wir haben uns gestern getroffen.
We met each other yesterday.
- After words such as dass (that), weil (because) or der, die, das (when they mean "which, that"), the reflexive pronoun comes before the verb.
Ich hoffe, dass wir uns treffen.
I hope that we can meet (each other).
Die Tasche, die ich mir wünsche, ist teuer.
The bag that I want (for myself) is expensive.
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