In a reflexive sentence the action of the verb reverts to the subject, as in the following examples: I wash myself. They enjoy themselves. In reflexive sentences, Italian verbs, like English verbs, are conjugated with reflexive pronouns.
Reflexive pronouns (i pronomi riflessivi) are identical in form to direct object pronouns, except for the third person form si (the third person singular and plural form).
SINGULAR |
PLURAL |
mi myself |
ci ourselves |
ti yourself |
vi yourselves |
si himself, herself, itself, yourself (formal) |
si themselves, yourselves (formal) |
Mi alzo. (I’m getting up.)
Voglio alzarmi. Mi voglio alzare. (I want to get up.)
Mi, ti, si, and vi may drop the i before another vowel or an h and replace it with an apostrophe. Ci may drop the i only before an i or e.
Si lava tutti i giorni. (He washes himself every day.)
Ci divertiamo molto qui. (We enjoy ourselves a lot here.)
A casa, m’annoio. (At home, I get bored.)