In German, reflexive verbs are used to describe actions that the subject performs on itself. The reflexive pronouns change based on the subject and the case they are in, which can be either accusative or dative.
For example, consider the verb "sich waschen," meaning "to wash oneself." In this case, the reflexive pronoun changes to match the subject: "Ich wasche mich" translates to "I wash myself," while "Du wäschst dich" means "You wash yourself." The reflexive pronoun "sich" is used for third-person singular subjects, as in "Er wäscht sich," which translates to "He washes himself."
Reflexive verbs are commonly used for daily activities. Take "sich anziehen," which means "to get dressed." You would say, "Ich ziehe mich an" to mean "I get dressed," or "Wir ziehen uns an" for "We get dressed." Similarly, with "sich freuen," meaning "to be glad" or "to look forward to," you might say, "Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende," translating to "I am looking forward to the weekend."
In some cases, reflexive verbs are used in the dative case, indicating that the action benefits the subject. For instance, "sich die Hände waschen," or "to wash one's hands," would be "Ich wasche mir die Hände" in German, meaning "I wash my hands." Here, "mir" is the dative reflexive pronoun.
Another interesting example is "sich etwas vorstellen," which means "to imagine something." You might say, "Kannst du dir das vorstellen?" translating to "Can you imagine that?" In this sentence, "dir" is the dative reflexive pronoun. Similarly, "sich etwas leisten" means "to afford something." You might hear, "Ich kann mir das nicht leisten," meaning "I can't afford that," where "mir" is again used in the dative case.
In terms of sentence structure, reflexive pronouns typically follow the conjugated verb or auxiliary verb. For instance, you might say, "Ich habe mich gestern geschnitten," which means "I cut myself yesterday." In questions, the reflexive pronoun comes right after the verb, such as in "Hast du dich verletzt?" meaning "Did you hurt yourself?"
German also includes separable and inseparable reflexive verbs, which can affect sentence structure. With separable verbs like "sich anziehen," meaning "to get dressed," the reflexive pronoun is placed between the verb's parts: "Ich ziehe mich morgens an" translates to "I get dressed in the morning." In contrast, inseparable verbs like "sich erinnern" ("to remember") keep the verb intact, as in "Ich erinnere mich oft an meine Kindheit," meaning "I often remember my childhood."