In compound tenses like the
passé composé, reflexive verbs use
être as their helping (auxiliary) verb. The reflexive pronoun remains before the conjugated helping form of
être, as follows:
- Je me suis lavé(e). (I washed myself.)
- Tu t'es préparé(e). (You didn't get ready.)
- Il s'est rasé. (He shaved.)
- Elle s'est couchée. (Didn't she go to bed?)
- Nous nous sommes peigné(e)s. (We combed our hair.)
- Vous vous êtes coiffé(e)(s). (You didn't do your hair.)
- Ils se sont impatientés. (They became impatient.)
- Elles se sont maquillées. (They put on their makeup.)
When the reflexive pronoun is used as a direct object, as in “Whom did they wash? Themselves! ” the past participle agrees with the reflexive pronoun: Ils se sont lavés. (They washed themselves.)
When the reflexive pronoun is used as an indirect object (“To/for whom did they wash something? For themselves!”), the past participle shows no agreement: Ils se sont lavé la figure. (They washed their faces.)