Cjelina 8: Odnosi u društvu
🔗 8 | 3 | Gramatika: Povratni glagoli
Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs follow the same conjugation patterns as regular verbs in the present, past, and future tenses. The only difference is the addition of the reflexive pronoun se, which affects the word order in a sentence.
The focus of this section is not on how to form tenses, but rather on how the reflexive pronoun se functions and where it appears within different sentence structures. If you need to refresh your memory on how to form the past tense with reflexive verbs, see Unit 1 / Lesson 4. Below is a short overview of typical word order when using reflexive verbs.
Present Tense
When using reflexive verbs, the word order can shift depending on what we emphasize and whether we use a pronoun or a personal name as the subject. Let’s look at the reflexive verb vidjeti se (to see oneself) in present tense, first person singular (ja):
| Pronoun | vidjeti | vidjeti se |
|---|---|---|
| With personal pronoun | Ja vidim sestru. | Ja se vidim u ogledalu. |
| Without personal pronoun | Vidim sestru. | Vidim se u ogledalu. |
Let’s practice…
Complete each sentence with the correct form of a reflexive verb in the present tense. Choose the appropriate verb from the list below. One verb will not be used. Do not use personal pronouns in your answers.
- nadati se, veseliti se, seliti se, sunčati se, vidjeti se, udavati se
Past Tense
The cluster verb biti + reflexive pronoun se will [most of the time] stay in that order. The cluster verb biti + reflexive pronoun se will change its place, depending on whether or not we use a personal pronoun as the subject. Let’s take the reflexive verb vidjeti se (to see oneself) as an example, using the masculine singular form for ja (I) in the past tense:
| Pronoun | vidjeti | vidjeti se |
|---|---|---|
| With personal pronoun | Ja sam vidio sestru. | Ja sam se vidio u ogledalu. |
| Without personal pronoun | Vidio sam sestru. | Vidio sam se u ogledalu. |
Let’s practice…
Complete the sentence with the correct past tense form of the reflexive verb. Read each sentence carefully in order to understand who is the subject. Choose the appropriate verb from the list below. One verb will not be used. Do not use personal pronouns in your answers.
- skrasiti se, vjenčati se, odmarati se, gledati se, nadati se, vidjeti se
Future Tense
In the future tense, reflexive verbs continue to follow the same conjugation rules as regular verbs. However, the presence of the reflexive pronoun se affects the word order. When we include the subject pronoun, we say: Ja ću se vidjeti u ogledalu. The subject pronoun ja comes first, followed by the auxiliary verb htjeti (ću), then the reflexive pronoun se, and finally the infinitive verb vidjeti.
In more natural speech, however, there is a tendency to drop the subject pronoun, since the verb form already makes it clear who the subject is. In that case, the auxiliary verb follows the infinitive: vidjet ću, and then we add the reflexive pronoun se: Vidjet ću se u ogledalu. This version is slightly more fluid and more common in everyday conversation.
| Pronoun | vidjeti | vidjeti se |
|---|---|---|
| With personal pronoun | Ja ću vidjeti sestru. | Ja ću se vidjeti u ogledalu. |
| Without personal pronoun | Vidjet ću sestru. | Vidjet ću se u ogledalu. |
Let’s practice…
Complete each sentence with the correct form of the reflexive verb in the future tense. Use one of the verbs from the list below. Pay attention who is the subject of a sentence. One verb will not be used. Do not use personal pronouns in your answers.
- skrasiti se, nadati se, sunčati se, vjenčati se, vidjeti se, oženiti se, udati se, veseliti se
