---
title: "Reflexive verbs: zich vergissen, zich voelen"
level: A2
chapter: "Pronouns"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/reflexive-verbs
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Reflexive verbs: zich vergissen, zich voelen

Some Dutch verbs come with a small pronoun that points back to the subject: _Ik vergis me_ (I'm mistaken), _Ik voel me goed_ (I feel good). These are reflexive verbs (the action reflects back on the subject, like a mirror), and some of them, like _zich vergissen_ and _zich herinneren_, need that pronoun every time, even where English has none. In a main clause, the pronoun comes right after the conjugated verb: _Ik heb me vergist_.

## The pattern

> A reflexive verb uses a [reflexive pronoun](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/reflexive-pronouns) (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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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

- Not: _Ik ben vergist_ Say: _Ik vergis me_ (Dutch uses the reflexive verb, not "be" plus an adjective)
- Not: _Ik herinner zijn naam niet_ Say: _Ik herinner me zijn naam niet_ (to remember, you need the pronoun)
- Not: _Ik voel goed_ Say: _Ik voel me goed_ (for how you feel, Dutch needs the pronoun)
- Not: _Ik me voel moe_ Say: _Ik voel me moe_ (in a main clause the pronoun follows the verb, a common slip for Spanish speakers)
- Not: _Ik heb vergist me_ Say: _Ik heb me vergist_ (the pronoun goes before the participle, not after it)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the pronoun: _Mijn buren voelen ... hier helemaal thuis._
2. Fill in _heeft_ or _is_: _Fatima ... zich verslapen._
3. Fix the sentence: _Wij moeten haasten ons, de trein vertrekt zo._
4. Choose the correct sentence: _Lotte herinnert de afspraak niet._ or _Lotte herinnert zich de afspraak niet._

## Answers

1. _zich_ (_mijn buren_ is _zij_, and _zij_ takes _zich_)
2. _heeft_ (reflexive verbs take _hebben_ in the perfect)
3. _Wij moeten ons haasten, de trein vertrekt zo._ (pronoun right after the conjugated verb, infinitive at the end)
4. _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_.

## Questions learners ask

**What are reflexive verbs in Dutch?**

Reflexive verbs come with a pronoun that points back to the subject, such as zich vergissen (to be mistaken) and zich voelen (to feel). You say Ik vergis me and Ik voel me goed, using me, je, zich or ons depending on the subject.

**How do you say "I remember" in Dutch?**

Say Ik herinner me, for example Ik herinner me haar naam. Without me, herinneren means to remind, as in Ik herinner je aan de afspraak.

**Do Dutch reflexive verbs use hebben or zijn in the perfect tense?**

They use hebben: Ik heb me vergist, Zij heeft zich verslapen. In a main clause, the reflexive pronoun comes right after the form of hebben, and the participle goes to the end.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.