Past participle agreement with pronominal verbs
The past participle of pronominal verbs agrees with the reflexive pronoun when that pronoun is the direct object (COD). It stays unchanged if the pronoun is an indirect object (COI) or if a direct object comes after the verb.
Examples
Elles se sont lavées.
Key word(s): lavées
"Se" is the direct object (they washed whom? themselves), so the participle agrees with the subject.
Elles se sont lavé les mains.
Key word(s): lavé
"Se" is the indirect object (they washed what? their hands), and the direct object "mains" comes after.
Ils se sont parlé longuement.
Key word(s): parlé
"Se" is the indirect object (you speak to someone), so there is no agreement.
Elle s'est regardée dans le miroir.
Key word(s): regardée
"S'" is the direct object (she looked at whom? herself).
Ils se sont téléphoné.
Key word(s): téléphoné
"Se" is the indirect object (you phone to someone), so there is no agreement.
Common mistakes
- Always making the participle agree with the subject without checking whether "se" is a COD or a COI
- Forgetting that "se parler", "se téléphoner" and "se sourire" take an indirect object (COI)
- Confusing "elles se sont lavées" with "elles se sont lavé les mains"
Test yourself
Elles se sont ___.
Ils se sont ___ des cadeaux.
Marie et Julie se sont ___.
Tips to remember
- Ask "verb whom?": if the answer is the pronoun, it is a direct object (COD).
- Ask "verb to whom?": if the answer is the pronoun, it is an indirect object (COI).
- Inherently pronominal verbs (s'enfuir, se souvenir) always agree with the subject.
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