Reflexive Verbs

The Reflexive Affix

154.A reflexive verb is marked by the affix -si- (infinitive -tis): mokyti "to teach", mokytis "to learn". The affix turns the action back on the doer, or marks a middle meaning that English often renders with a different verb altogether. At A1 the forms were learnt as phrases (¶145); here they are declined in full.

mokyti → mokytis

to teach → to learn / to study

prausti → praustis

to wash (someone) → to wash oneself

matyti → matytis

to see → to be visible; to meet (reciprocal)

• [1] Not every -tis verb is literally reflexive: sektis, patikti (non-reflexive), and atsiprašyti show that the affix is also a word-forming device. The conjugation, however, is the same.

The Present of a Reflexive Verb

155.In the present the affix sits at the end of the personal form as -si (after a vowel) or -s is absorbed into the ending. The first person singular ends in -ausi / -uosi / -iuosi according to conjugation; the third person in -asi / -osi / -isi. Person is marked as on a non-reflexive verb; only the -si is added.

Aš mokausi lietuvių kalbos.

I am learning Lithuanian.

Kaip tu jautiesi?

How do you feel?

Vaikai prausiasi.

The children are washing.

Past and Future Reflexives

156.In the past and the future the same affix rides at the end: mokėsi, mokysis. The past follows the verb's ordinary type (-o or -ė); the future keeps the -s- marker and adds -i(s). The infinitive is always -tis.

Vakar mokiausi iki vakaro.

Yesterday I studied until evening.

Rytoj mokysiuosi namie.

Tomorrow I shall study at home.

Ji jautėsi geriau.

She felt better.

Migration under Negation

157.Under negation the affix leaves the end of the word and stands *immediately after ne-**: mokausi but nesimokau; jaučiuosi but nesijaučiu*. The personal ending is then the ordinary non-reflexive one. Without this rule a negated reflexive is unrecognisable.

Aš mokausi, bet dar nesimokau rašyti.

I am learning, but I am not yet learning to write.

Šiandien nesijaučiu gerai.

Today I do not feel well.

Jie nesiprausia rytais.

They do not wash in the mornings.

Migration under a Prefix

158.When the verb already carries a prefix, the reflexive affix sits between the prefix and the stem: šypsotis → nusišypsoti → nusišypsau; sakyti → atsisakyti → atsisakau. Negation then precedes the whole complex: nenusišypsau, neatsisakau. The order is always ne- + prefix + -si- + stem.

Ji nusišypsojo.

She smiled.

Aš atsisakau.

I refuse / I decline.

Jis neatsisakė padėti.

He did not refuse to help.

What the Affix Can Mean

159.The same morphology covers several senses, and the dictionary — not the ending — chooses among them. True reflexive: the doer acts on himself (prausiuosi). Reciprocal: each acts on the other (matomės, we meet / see each other). Middle / lexical: a new verb whose English counterpart is rarely reflexive (mokytis learn, jaustis feel, sektis go well).

Prausiuosi šaltu vandeniu.

I wash myself with cold water. — true reflexive

Mes dažnai matomės.

We meet often. — reciprocal

Kaip sekasi?

How are you getting on? — lexical / impersonal

Complements of Reflexive Verbs

160.A reflexive verb may still govern a case. Mokytis takes the genitive of the subject studied (mokausi lietuvių kalbos); domėtis and rūpintis take the instrumental (taught with the unexpected-case verbs of the next section); many true reflexives take no object at all. Do not put an accusative after mokytis where English "learn Lithuanian" tempts one to.

Mokausi lietuvių kalbos.

I am learning Lithuanian. — genitive

Mokausi vairuoti.

I am learning to drive. — infinitive complement

Jaučiuosi pavargęs.

I feel tired. — predicative adjective agreeing with the subject

• [1] Mokyti (non-reflexive) takes an accusative of the person taught and often a genitive of the subject: mokau vaiką matematikos.