Reflexive and passe compose

L

liverhead_neuf

New Member
New Jersey
America, English
I know that this is probably the same as a million other posts out there... and for that I apologise. (I can't spell in any language :p) But I just cannot seem to grasp reflexive verbis in passe compose.

I really, blatantly suck at them. So I was wondering if anybody had any tips? Or is it entirely based on context... anything, honestly, will help me more than it would hurt me.

Thanks in advanced and, no hurt feelings if you all hate me and delete this thread... I'd probably do the same.
 
    • Hello, liverhead_neuf,
    You may not be as bad as you think. Try giving us one or two sentences using reflexive verbs in passé composé first and the nice people here will take it from there. Okay? :)
     
    Oopsie. Silly me. :p

    Forgive me?

    Anyway.

    Well, on this upcoming test, we are going to have to give endings to

    An example might be:

    Les amis se sont salue_.
    Monique s'est assis_ sur une chaise. (I think that's what the sentence is... I can't read my handwriting... haha... wow... I'm a mess.)

    So, yeah. If you might be able to explain why I would use an ending or why I wouldn't... that'd be rather nice.

    But, I feel as though I'm getting greedy.

    So, really, any advice would be lovely.
     
    In both your examples the past participle (salué/assis) agrees with the subject (les amis/Monique), so yes you need to use an ending (-e for the feminine, -s for the plural). This is because all reflexive verbs use the auxiliary 'être' in the perfect tense, and the past participle of a verb using 'être' always agrees with the subject.

    Hope that's clear! :)
     
    With "être", you have to add an eventual ending to past participle.
    When direct object is before a past participle, you have to add an eventual ending too.
    With almost all reflexive, you have two reasons for the endings (-e, -s, -es).

    The problem is with reflexive : if the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object, there is no ending.

    Ils se sont vus. (L'un a vu l'autre.)
    Ils se sont nui. (L'un a nui à l'autre.)

    Elle s'est autorisée à partir tôt. (Elle a autorisé elle-même à partir tôt)
    Elle s'est permis de partir tôt. (Elle a permis à elle-même de partir tôt.)

    It is rather complicated.
     
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