📖LearnModule 12 · Lesson 8 of 30Proficient User · CEFR C1, completedUnit 2 · L'accord du participe passé
Les verbes pronominaux
Module 12 of the free French course (CEFR C1, completed), lesson 8 of 30: This is where careful writers hesitate. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 8.
The words
French
English
Say it
elle s'est lavée
she washed
ehl seh lah-VAY
elle s'est lavé les mains
she washed her hands
ehl seh lah-vay lay MA(n)
ils se sont parlé
they spoke to each other
eel suh soh(n) pahr-LAY
le verbe pronominal
the reflexive verb
luh vehrb proh-noh-mee-NAHL
la main
the hand
lah MA(n)
hésiter sur un accord
to hesitate over an agreement
ay-zee-tay sewr uh(n) nah-KOR
l'orthographefeminine — the article elides to l'
the spelling
lor-toh-GRAHF
réciproque
reciprocal
ray-see-PROHK
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Hear the words
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
La règle · The rule
This is where careful writers hesitate. Elle s'est lavée — she washed herself, se is the direct object, agreement. Elle s'est lavé les mains — the direct object is les mains and it FOLLOWS, so no agreement.
Et aussi · And also
Same verb, same day, two spellings. The question is never "is it reflexive?" but "what is the direct object, and where is it?" Ils se sont parlé takes no agreement at all, because you speak TO someone.
Attention · Watch out
elle s'est lavée (agreement: se is the direct object) but elle s'est lavé les mains (none: les mains is the object, after the verb). ils se sont parlé never agrees — parler takes à.
se lever, passé composé — the table
il s'est levé · elle s'est levée · ils se sont levés · elles se sont levées
se souvenir, passé composé — the table
il s'est souvenu · elle s'est souvenue · ils se sont souvenus · elles se sont souvenues
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with elle s'est lavée.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write out se lever, passé composé and se souvenir, passé composé in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.