mr.nand

[velvet birch]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[hollow cobalt]

just to mess with you 😈

it's actually common among European languages to prefer such a structure, English is the odd one out

[rugged geyser]

[random marten]

English has it for some expressions.
eg.
'I punch myself in the face'
not
'I punch myself in my face'

[gray fjord]

Also, why is it "Je me lave le visage" and not "Je lave mon visage"
Because you're the one washing your face.
Il me lave le visage -> He washes my face.
Je lui lave le visage -> I wash his face.
Il se lave le visage -> He washes his face.

The 'me' is what makes it reflexive and refers back to yourself.

It's like saying 'I wash myself' in English.

Like SteelCrow said.

[rugged geyser]

I sort of get it.

The issue is that when I try to say something I translate it word by word, this is why I wrote "Je lave mon visage" which translates in my head to "I wash my face".

I guess I have to memorize the reflexive verbs.

https://tenor.com/view/dancing-gif-12587501750580744317

Thank you all

[gray fjord]

Translating word for word can be tricky for a number of reasons:

• The phrasing is completely different in French
• The words are the same, but the syntax (order) doesn't match
• The general attitude towards something is different, rendering the concept difficult to translate literally

[rocky mica]

Just an example, this is a fairly generalisable thing in French where we use the definite article for limbs and insert an indirect pronoun for describing to whom said limbs belong

Je me lave les mains = I wash my hands
Je lui lave les mains = I wash his/her hands

[gray fjord]

You'd also say 'raise the hands' instead of 'raise your hands/hands up' in French.

Just as another concrete example.

[serene vessel]

Using the possesive in the case of most body parts when there is an action to it makes it sound more like the person is in possession of the body part, rather than it simply being a part of them, almost like they own body parts that are not the ones attached to their body
You may occasionally see the possessive used regardless, but in most cases you use the indirect object pronoun + definite article