The pattern
A reflexive verb uses a reflexive pronoun (such as me, je, zich or ons) to point back to the subject. In a simple main clause, this pronoun usually comes right after the conjugated verb (the form that matches the subject), or right after the subject when the subject comes after the verb.
- Always reflexive: zich vergissen (be mistaken), zich herinneren (remember), zich schamen (be ashamed), zich haasten (hurry), zich verslapen (oversleep).
- English usually has no pronoun here: I'm mistaken is Ik vergis me, I remember is Ik herinner me.
- Sometimes reflexive: wassen, voelen, aankleden. Ik voel me moe (I feel tired), but Ik voel de regen (I feel the rain).
- Main clause: Ik voel me goed, Vandaag voel ik me goed, Ik heb me vergist, Ik moet me haasten.
- Subordinate clause (a side clause that starts with a word like omdat or dat): the verb goes to the end, and the pronoun normally comes right after the subject: omdat ik me vergis. See subordinate clauses.
- The perfect tense uses hebben: Ik heb me verslapen (see Hebben or zijn).
Examples
| Sorry, ik vergis me: de afspraak is morgen. | Sorry, I'm mistaken: the appointment is tomorrow. |
| Ik heb me in de datum vergist. | I got the date wrong. |
| Herinner je je Joris nog? | Do you still remember Joris? |
| Ahmed schaamt zich voor zijn fout. | Ahmed is ashamed of his mistake. |
| We moeten ons haasten, want de trein vertrekt over vijf minuten. | We have to hurry, because the train leaves in five minutes. |
| Ik heb me verslapen, dus ik kom iets later. | I overslept, so I'll be a bit late. |
| Priya belt de huisarts, omdat ze zich niet lekker voelt. | Priya is calling the GP because she isn't feeling well. |
| Vandaag voel ik me een stuk beter. | Today I feel a lot better. |
| De kat wast zich in de zon. | The cat is washing itself in the sun. |
| Carlos wast de hond. | Carlos is washing the dog. |
Why it works this way
English has a few verbs like this: in "behave yourself", the "yourself" adds nothing new, it simply comes with the verb. Dutch has many more (and zich gedragen means, fittingly, to behave). So don't translate word by word. Learn zich vergissen as one verb in two pieces.
The pronoun is short and unstressed, and Dutch likes those words early in the sentence, close to the subject. The participle (the form like vergist) or the infinitive (the basic form like haasten) moves to the end as usual, see the verb bracket, but the pronoun stays up front: Ik heb me gisteren vergist.
Two honest extras. Herinneren without a pronoun does exist, but then it means remind: Ik herinner je aan de afspraak. And Herinner je je Joris nog? is not a typo: the first je is you, the second is the reflexive pronoun.
Remember: the pronoun is the subject's shadow. It stays close to the subject, and when an infinitive or participle closes the sentence, the pronoun normally comes before it: Ik moet me haasten, Ik heb me vergist.
Watch out
خطأIk ben vergist
صوابIk vergis me
Dutch uses the reflexive verb, not "be" plus an adjective
خطأIk herinner zijn naam niet
صوابIk herinner me zijn naam niet
to remember, you need the pronoun
خطأIk voel goed
صوابIk voel me goed
for how you feel, Dutch needs the pronoun
خطأIk me voel moe
صوابIk voel me moe
in a main clause the pronoun follows the verb, a common slip for Spanish speakers
خطأIk heb vergist me
صوابIk heb me vergist
the pronoun goes before the participle, not after it
Quick check
- Fill in the pronoun: Mijn buren voelen ... hier helemaal thuis.
- Fill in heeft or is: Fatima ... zich verslapen.
- Fix the sentence: Wij moeten haasten ons, de trein vertrekt zo.
- Choose the correct sentence: Lotte herinnert de afspraak niet. or Lotte herinnert zich de afspraak niet.
اعرض الإجابات
- zich (mijn buren is zij, and zij takes zich)
- heeft (reflexive verbs take hebben in the perfect)
- Wij moeten ons haasten, de trein vertrekt zo. (pronoun right after the conjugated verb, infinitive at the end)
- Lotte herinnert zich de afspraak niet. (to remember, you need the pronoun)
Use it today
The next time you get a time, a name or a platform wrong, say Sorry, ik vergis me out loud. Tonight, tell someone (or your houseplant) how your day was with Ik voel me... plus one word, such as moe, blij or goed.