French uses reflexive pronouns such as me, te, se, nous, vous, se not only for reflexive meaning, but also for reciprocal meaning. In a reciprocal construction, two or more people act on each other. In a reflexive construction, the subject acts on itself. The French word for “reciprocal” is réciproque.

The form is the same on the surface. The meaning depends on context.

Basic reciprocal form

In the reciprocal use, the subject is plural. The reflexive pronoun stands for each other.

• Ils s’aiment. They love each other.
• Nous nous connaissons. We know each other.
• Vous vous aidez. You help each other.
• Ils se parlent. They speak to each other.
• Ils se regardent. They look at each other.

If we expand the meaning, we often translate with each other or one another.

• Ils se respectent. They respect each other.
• Nous nous écrivons. We write to each other.

The verb is conjugated as a pronominal verb and takes être in compound tenses.

• Ils se sont aimés. They loved each other.
• Nous nous sommes vus. We saw each other.

Agreement follows the normal rules for pronominal verbs and depends on whether the object is direct or indirect.

Reflexive versus reciprocal

The same form can be reflexive.

Reflexive meaning:

• Il se lave. He washes himself.
• Je me regarde. I look at myself.
• Nous nous préparons. We prepare ourselves.

Reciprocal meaning:

• Ils se lavent. They wash each other.
• Ils se regardent. They look at each other.
• Nous nous préparons. We prepare each other.

In the plural, the form can be ambiguous. Context usually makes it clear.

Compare:

• Ils se lavent. They wash themselves.
• Ils se lavent. They wash each other.

If there are only two people, the reciprocal meaning is natural. If each person is washing his own body, the reflexive meaning is more likely.

To remove doubt, French often adds a clarifying phrase.

Les uns les autres

To stress the reciprocal meaning, French can add les uns les autres.

• Ils s’aiment les uns les autres. They love one another.
• Nous nous aidons les uns les autres. We help one another.
• Ils se respectent les uns les autres. They respect one another.

This phrase makes the reciprocal meaning explicit. It cannot mean reflexive.

There are variants depending on gender and number.

Masculine plural or mixed group:

• Ils se parlent les uns aux autres. They speak to one another.

Feminine plural:

• Elles s’aident les unes les autres. They help one another.

The preposition changes when the verb takes an indirect object.

• Ils se donnent des conseils les uns aux autres. They give advice to one another.
• Nous nous écrivons les uns aux autres. We write to one another.

Here aux reflects the indirect object.

Without les uns les autres, the sentence is shorter and more common in speech.

• Ils se donnent des conseils. They give each other advice.

Reciprocal meaning with indirect verbs

Some verbs take an indirect object in French.

• Ils se parlent. They speak to each other.
• Nous nous téléphonons. We call each other.
• Ils se sourient. They smile at each other.

With these verbs, the pronoun is indirect. This affects agreement in compound tenses.

• Ils se sont parlé. They spoke to each other.
• Ils se sont téléphoné. They called each other.

No agreement is made with the past participle because the pronoun is indirect.

Compare with a direct object verb:

• Ils se sont vus. They saw each other.
• Nous nous sommes rencontrés. We met each other.

Here the pronoun is direct, so agreement occurs.

Verbs that are naturally reciprocal

Some verbs are often used in reciprocal form.

• Se rencontrer to meet each other
• Se marier to marry each other
• Se battre to fight each other
• Se quitter to leave each other

Examples:

• Ils se sont rencontrés hier. They met each other yesterday.
• Ils se sont mariés. They married each other.
• Ils se battent. They are fighting each other.
• Ils se sont quittés. They left each other.

In practice, these verbs are often understood as reciprocal when the subject is plural.

Alternative ways to express reciprocity

French does not always need a pronominal verb.

Using entre eux or entre nous:

• Ils parlent entre eux. They speak among themselves.
• Nous avons un accord entre nous. We have an agreement between us.

Using a plural object:

• Ils ont un grand amour l’un pour l’autre. They have great love for one another.

Using l’un l’autre in the singular form:

• Ils se regardent l’un l’autre. They look at one another.
• Ils ont confiance l’un en l’autre. They trust one another.

Here l’un l’autre varies for gender and number, just like les uns les autres.

Feminine plural example:

• Elles se parlent les unes aux autres. They speak to one another.

Reflexive only, not reciprocal

Some pronominal verbs are not reciprocal in meaning.

• Se souvenir de to remember
• Se moquer de to make fun of
• Se rendre compte to realise

Example:

• Ils se souviennent de ce jour. They remember that day.

This cannot mean they remember each other. The verb itself is pronominal and has its own meaning.

Summary

• The reciprocal construction uses reflexive pronouns with a plural subject to mean each other.
• The form is the same as the reflexive form. Context decides the meaning.
• Les uns les autres and l’un l’autre make the reciprocal sense explicit.
• Agreement in compound tenses depends on whether the pronoun is direct or indirect.
• Some verbs are often used in reciprocal form, while others are purely pronominal and not reciprocal.