Copy of Week 19, Day 4: Pronominal Verbs Part 2 (Reciprocal Verbs)
In yesterday's lesson, you were introduced to the different kinds of pronominal verbs. Today, we will take a closer look at reciprocal verbs. Aside from that, we will also learn more words related to health.
First, the reciprocal verbs.
❑ Reflexive verbs are all about actions being done by a person on his or her self; reciprocal verbs, on the other hand, are used to express an action being performed by more than one person to each other.
❑ The key here is "each other." If the English equivalent makes use of this term, then that is your cue that you need a reciprocal verb to translate it into French.
❑ Pronouns used together with reciprocal verbs are similar to that of reflexive pronouns. However, since reciprocal verbs are only used in the plural (there being more than one person doing the action), only the pronouns se, nous, and vous are being used.
❑ To use the reciprocal verbs in sentences, simply insert the reflexive/reciprocal pronoun before the verb that you would like to express as being mutually done. Simple as that.
Here are the most common reciprocal verbs you will encounter:
Listen to Week 19 Day 4 Track 1
s'adorer (to adore each other) Tu as vu comment ils s'adorent ? (You saw how they adore each other?)
s'aimer (to love each other) Oui! Ils s'aiment à la folie ! (Yes! They love each other madly!)
se comprendre (to understand each other) Ils se comprennent très bien. (They understand each other very well.)
se connaître (to know each other) Nous nous connaissons depuis toujours ! (We’ve known each other forever!)
se voir (to see each other) Mais c'est la première fois qu'on se voit ! (But this is the first time we've met each other!)
se téléphoner (to call each other) Ok, on se téléphone alors ? (Ok, so we will call each other?)
s'écrire (to write each other) Vous vous écrivez toutes les semaines ? (You write each other every week?)
se parler (to talk to each other) Nous nous parlons régulièrement, oui. (We talk to each other regularly, yes.)
se promettre (to promise each other) Ils se promettent d'être à la hauteur. (They promised each other they’d be ready.)
se détester (to hate each other) Nous nous détestons ! (We hate each other!)
s'embrasser (to kiss each other) Mais nous nous embrassons aussi ! (But we kiss each other too!)
se dire (to say to each other) Vous vous dites plein de choses. (You say many things to each other.)
se disputer (to fight with each other) Ils se sont disputés hier soir. (They fought each other yesterday.)
se quitter (to leave each other) Nous nous quittons déjà ? (We’re already leaving each other?)
se regarder (to look at each other) Ils se regardent toute la journée. (They look at each other all day.)
se rencontrer (to meet each other) Nous nous sommes rencontré hier. (We met each other yesterday.)
se sourire (to smile at each other) Vous vous souriez. (You smile at each other.)
Speaking Practice 1
Sample Dialogue:
You saw how they looked at each other?
Yes! We loved each other like that too!
That's right, I remember that we called each other all the time!
Still in the mood for more vocabulary? Let's have a quick look at additional words related to health. You have already learned about diseases and practiced scenarios involving visiting the doctor. Today, we will add a few more words related to that topic.
Listen to Week 19 Day 4 Track 3
malade - sick
en bonne santé - in good health/healthy
la maladie - sickness
la santé - health
maladif - unhealthy
en mauvaise santé - in bad health/unhealthy
guérir - to heal
la guérison - healing
la toxine - toxin
la douleur - pain
douloureux / douloureuse - painful
indolore - painless
premiers secours (m.) - first aid
avoir de la fièvre - to have a fever
faire un régime - to be on a diet
faire de l'exercice - to exercise, work out
faire mal à - to harm, hurt, injure
maigrir - to lose weight, to slim down
garder la forme - to keep fit
prendre du poids - to gain weight
grossir - to get bigger
se relaxer - to relax
prendre un médicament - to take medicine
Speaking Practice 2
Vocabulaire complémentaire:
Listen to Week 19 Day 4 Track 4
avoir un compte à régler avec quelqu'un - to have a bone to pick with somebody
Ça empeste le parfum. - It reeks of perfume.
Ça ne mange pas de pain. - It doesn't cost anything.
en être pour ses frais - to waste one's time
être dans ses petits souliers - to feel very small
exaspérer quelqu'un - to drive someone up the wall (infuriate or exasperate)
faire un coup vache à quelqu'un - to pull a mean trick on someone
J'attends de pied ferme. - I'm ready and waiting.
Je ne dispose que de quelques minutes. - I can only spare you a few minutes.
Jure-moi de ne rien dire. - Swear that you won't say anything.
Qui va à la chasse perd sa place - Leave your place and you will lose it.
racler les fonds de tiroir - to scrape some money together
s'attacher à faire quelque chose - to set out to do something
s'en donner à cœur joie - to enjoy oneself to the fullest, to throw yourself into (something) wholeheartedly
être pris sur le fait - to be caught red-handed, to be caught in the act
ronger son frein - to chomp at the bit
tuer la poule aux œufs d’or - to kill the goose that lays the golden egg
Tu ne l'emporteras pas au paradis. - You'll live to regret it.
Tu vas vite en besogne, toi !- you don't waste any time!
Speaking Practice 3
A Quick Recap of this Lesson-
Un petit résumé de la leçon
Today, we studied two things: reciprocal verbs and additional vocabulary related to health.
Sharpen Your Knowledge with Exercises
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Answer the questions about the dialogue.
Responses