is to the advantage of the subject (cf. English ‘I’m making myself a coffee’ [i.e.
a coffee for myself], ‘They’re going to have themselves some fun’ [i.e. some
fun for themselves]):
7 Another common use of the Italian reflexive pronoun occurs in cases like
the following, where English would use a possessive adjective (‘my’, ‘your’,
etc.) rather than a reflexive pronoun:
8 When reflexive or reciprocal pronouns occur with a verb in the present
perfect (or any other compound tense), the auxiliary is always essere (even if
the verb itself would form the past tenses with avere), and the past participle
always agrees with the subject:
9 The reflexive pronouns, like all unstressed pronouns, can be attached to
the infinitive of a verb (mainly after dovere, potere, volere or sapere). In
these sentences, when the main verb is in the present perfect (or any other
compound tense), the auxiliary is avere, and the past participle does not
agree:
Mi mangio un panino.
Perché non ci facciamo una partita
a carte?
Paolo si mangia sempre tutti i
biscotti.I’m going to eat a sandwich.
Why don’t we have a game of cards?Paolo always eats all the biscuits.Mi lavo le mani.
Ti metti il cappotto?
Anna si lava i capelli tutti i giorni.I wash my hands.
Are you going to put your coat on?
Anna washes her hair every day.Paolo si è svegliato tardi.
Maria si è annoiata.
Vittorio, a che ora ti sei alzato?
Paolo e Francesca si sono sposati.Claudio e Anna si sono lavati le
mani.
Sabina si è mangiata un panino.
Si sono fatti un caffè.Paolo woke up late.
Maria got bored.
Vittorio, what time did you get up?
Paolo and Francesca have got
married.
Claudio and Anna washed their
hands.
Sabina ate a sandwich.
They made (themselves) a coffee.Devo alzarmi presto.
Mio fratello non vuole lavarsi.
Paolo e Francesca hanno voluto
sposarsi.
Non abbiamo potuto lavarci.I’ve got to get up early.
My brother doesn’t want to wash.
Paolo and Francesca wanted to get
married.
We couldn’t wash.