Italian Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs, or verbi riflessivi in Italian, are a special type of transitive verbs where the subject and the object coincide.
Look at the following pair of sentences:
- Transitive non-reflexive verb:
Io lavo il mio cane.
I wash my dog.
Io is the subject, lavo is the verb, and il mio cane is the direct object of the sentence: in fact, the verb is a transitive verb and therefore the object is directly linked to it without the use of any preposition.
- Reflexive verb:
Io mi lavo.
I wash myself.
Io is the subject as above, lavo is the verb, but here mi is a reflexive pronoun that stands for me stesso/a (myself). This object is still a direct object, because the verb is still a transitive verb, but in this case it coincides with the subject.
It is the same as if saying:
Io mi lavo = Io lavo me stesso/a.
I wash myself.
However, some verbs behave like reflexive verbs, but technically they’re not reflexive. They’re called riflessivi impropri (false reflexives), and this is what I will be discussing in this article.
“Riflessivi Impropri” in Italian
Different Types of False Reflexives
In Italian, there are 3 types of riflessivi impropri:
- Forma riflessiva apparente (apparent reflexive form);
- Forma riflessiva reciproca (reciprocal reflexive form);
- Forma pronominale (pronominal form).
Here, I will discuss the second one: verbi riflessivi reciproci (reciprocal reflexive verbs).
Reciprocal Reflexive Form
The verbi riflessivi reciproci (reciprocal reflexive verbs) are verbs that express a reciprocal action. This means that two or more people are performing an action on each other.
Notice that the subject is always plural, given the fact that the action involves more than one person interacting with each other. This interaction is mutual, and each subject is simultaneously the doer and the receiver of the action.
This means that the only reflexive pronouns you will need to remember to use a reciprocal reflexive verb are ci, vi, si, which correspond to the personal pronouns noi, voi, and loro (we, you plural, they).
Avete discusso? Non vi salutate mai!
Did you argue? You never greet each other!
I ragazzi si sono picchiati.
The guys beat each other.
Fabio e Massimo si incontrano ogni domenica.
Fabio and Massimo meet each other every Sunday.
As you can see from the translations, in this form the reflexive pronouns have the meaning of “each other”.
Riflessivi Reciproci: Conjugation
Reciprocal reflexives are conjugated in the exact same way as reflexive verbs. The only difference is that the subject must be plural in order for the function of reciprocity to be fulfilled.
Also, remember that, since they are reflexive, reciprocal reflexives are always transitive, meaning they take a direct object. However, here the direct object is expressed by reflexive pronouns themselves ci, vi, si.
| Presente | |||
| Aiutarsi (to help e.o.) |
Odiarsi (to hate e.o.) |
Salutarsi (to greet e.o.) |
|
| noi | ci aiutiamo | ci odiamo | ci salutiamo |
| voi | vi aiutate | vi odiate | vi salutate |
| loro, Loro | si aiutano | si odiano | si salutano |
Loro si aiutano sempre.
They always help each other.
Remember: when you conjugate reflexive verbs in the passato prossimo(present perfect), they always require the auxiliary essere(to be).
Noi ci siamo lasciati.
We broke up. (lit. we left each other).
Hanno fatto pace, si sono abbracciati.
They made peace, they hugged each other.
