You may have noticed that some Italian verbs end in -si, such as lavarsi, vestirsi, and svegliarsi. These are called reflexive verbs (verbi riflessivi).
A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object of the action are the same — in other words, when someone is doing something to themselves.
In English, we make verbs reflexive by using words like myself, yourself, himself, etc.
I wash myself.
Reflexive
I wash the car.
Not reflexive (the action is on something else)
Many Italian verbs can be either reflexive or non-reflexive, depending on the context.
Reflexive verbs are conjugated just like regular verbs, but with the reflexive pronoun in front. The -si ending is dropped and replaced by the correct pronoun based on the subject:
| Subject | Reflexive Pronoun |
|---|---|
| io | mi (myself) |
| tu | ti (yourself) |
| lui/lei | si (himself/herself) |
| Lei | si (yourself – formal) |
| noi | ci (ourselves) |
| voi | vi (yourselves) |
| loro | si (themselves) |
Io mi lavo
I wash myself
Tu ti lavi
You wash yourself
Lui/Lei si lava
He/She washes himself/herself
Noi ci laviamo
We wash ourselves
Voi vi lavate
You all wash yourselves
Loro si lavano
They wash themselves
Some verbs can be used both ways. Here are a few examples:
Devo lavare questi vestiti.
I need to wash these clothes.
Giovanni lava la macchina.
Giovanni washes the car.
Mi lavo la faccia.
I wash my face.
Mi lavo prima di andare al lavoro.
I wash before going to work.
Ho messo il vestito nell’armadio.
I put the dress in the wardrobe.
Mi metto una giacca.
I put on a jacket.
Stasera mi metterò questo vestito.
Tonight, I’ll wear this dress.
La madre ha svegliato il bambino.
The mother woke the child.
Mi sono svegliata alle sette.
I woke up at seven.
Odio svegliarmi presto.
I hate waking up early.
To make reflexive verbs negative, place non before the pronoun:
Non mi sento bene.
I don’t feel well.
Non mi sono svegliata presto.
I didn’t wake up early.
Ieri sera non mi sono divertita.
Last night, I didn’t have fun.
Oggi non mi sono truccata.
Today, I didn’t put on makeup.
When a reflexive verb appears with another verb in the infinitive like volere, potere, dovere, the reflexive pronoun can go in two places:
Non mi voglio alzare.
I don’t want to get up.
Non voglio alzarmi.
I don’t want to get up.
Both are grammatically correct and commonly used.
Non so cosa mi mettere per il matrimonio.
I don’t know what to wear for the wedding.
Non so cosa mettermi per il matrimonio.
I don’t know what to wear for the wedding.
Non ti preoccupare, Non preoccuparti.
Don’t worry.
Puoi fidarti di me, Ti puoi fidare di me.
You can trust me.
The reflexive pronouns ci, vi, and si can also express a reciprocal action — meaning each other or one another.
Io e Nicola ci vogliamo bene.
Nicola and I love each other.
Lui e Nicola si vogliono bene.
He and Nicola love each other.
Io e lei non ci parliamo da mesi.
She and I haven’t spoken for months.
Lui e lei non si parlano da mesi.
They haven’t spoken to each other in months.
Sometimes, Italians use reflexive pronouns with non-reflexive verbs just for emphasis — often to make the sentence feel more personal or casual.
Mi mangio una pizza.
I’m really having a pizza.
Ci siamo visti un film.
We watched a movie ourselves.
Mi sono fatta una passeggiata in centro.
I took a walk downtown.
Ci beviamo qualcosa al bar?
Shall we grab a drink at the bar?
