Reflexive Verben mit Dativ

When a reflexive verb already has an accusative object, the reflexive pronoun goes in the dative. Only the first and second person singular change: mir and dir instead of mich and dich.

Use the dative reflexive pronoun when the verb already has an accusative object. That is why you say ich wasche mir die Hände and du putzt dir die Zähne. The dative forms that matter most here are mir and dir; the other persons look the same as in the accusative: sich, uns, euch. This point is common with verbs like sich ansehen, sich vorstellen, sich merken, sich kaufen, sich leisten when they also take an accusative object.

Reflexive pronouns with accusative object

• Ich wasche mich die Hände.

  Ich wasche mir die Hände.

  The verb already has the accusative object die Hände, so the reflexive pronoun must be dative: mir.

• Du putzt dich die Zähne.

  Du putzt dir die Zähne.

  With another accusative object after the verb, du needs the dative reflexive form dir, not dich.

• Er kauft ihn ein neues Fahrrad.

  Er kauft sich ein neues Fahrrad.

  The verb kaufen takes a dative and an accusative object: jemandem etwas kaufen. When the subject and the dative object refer to the same person, you need the reflexive pronoun sich in the dative, not the accusative form ihn.

• Wir merken uns den Termin uns.

  Wir merken uns den Termin.

  The reflexive pronoun is already correct as uns; adding a second uns is not possible here. The sentence needs only one reflexive pronoun.

• This pattern often appears with body parts and everyday routines: die Hände waschen, die Haare kämmen, die Zähne putzen.
• Do not confuse ich wasche mich with ich wasche mir die Hände. In the first sentence, mich is the object; in the second, die Hände is the object, so the reflexive pronoun becomes dative.
• The forms sich, uns, and euch are the same in accusative and dative, so the difference is only visible in mir and dir.
• If the verb has no additional accusative object, the reflexive pronoun is usually accusative: Ich wasche mich.