Intermediate german

46 Unit 6: Reflexive verbs
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Structures with accusative and dative objects
In structures where the reflexive verb occurs with an accusative and dative
object, the reflexive pronoun is usually in the dative:
Ich habe mir (dat.) den Rücken (acc.) verletzt.
I’ve hurt my back.
Ich ziehe mir (dat.) den Mantel (acc.) an.
I put on my coat.
Wasch dir (dat.) bitte die Hände! (acc.)
Wash your hands, please!
Wir haben uns (dat.) die Zähne (acc.) geputzt.
We (have) cleaned our teeth.
As shown in these examples, in English these structures usually use a
possessive adjective (‘my’, ‘your’ etc.) instead of a reflexive pronoun.
Position of the reflexive pronoun
If the subject is a noun
If the subject is a noun, the reflexive pronoun usually appears after the
finite verb:
Seine kleine Schwester interessiert sich für Rapmusik.
His younger sister is interested in rap music.
In a subordinate clause the reflexive pronoun usually comes before the
subject:
Es ist klar, dass sich Claudia entschuldigen muss.
It is clear that Claudia has to apologise.
If the subject is a personal pronoun
If the subject is a personal pronoun the reflexive pronoun often appears
after the subject:
Gestern hat sie sich von dem Schrecken erholt.
She recovered from the shock yesterday.