Factors Affecting the Hospitality and Tourism Industry.

Factors Affecting the Hospitality and Tourism Industry. When think of the hospitality industry, normally we will think of restaurants and hotels. By then, the term of hospitality industry has a much broader meaning. According to Oxford English Dictionary, hospitality is means the reception and entertainment of customers, strangers and visitors with liberality and good will. The word of hospitality is derived from hospice, a medieval house of rest for travelers and pilgrims. A hospice was also an early from nursing home, and the word is clearly related to hospital. Besides that, hospitality also refers to other types of institutions that offer shelter or food or both to person away from their home. These kinds of institutions have more than a common historical heritage. Moreover, they also share the management problem of providing food and shelter, example like: erecting a building; preparing and serving food in a good will; providing heat, light, and power; and cleaning and maintaining the premises. When customers stay in a hotel or dine in a restaurant, they hope that all of this problem can be done with liberality and good will, but they can also rightfully expect the same treatment from the dietary department in a health care facility or from a school lunch program. In additional, as a successful manger in the hospitality industry, they must exhibit many skills and command much specialized knowledge, such like, a manger wants to make things for the guests. Food has to be savory and hot or cold according to design and delivery it on time. The rooms must be clean and the beds should be made. A hospitality system includes many works, and the manger must see that it is done. Answer of Question 1 What is hospitality industry? Finding one all encompassing description of hospitality as an industry is also hard. The means of hospitality industry are comprises businesses that serve guests who are away from home or can be defined by its scope, mission, and providers. Other definition of hospitality industry will be continually updated and refined, expanded, and honed. Historians have traced the development of the hospitality industry through thousands of years and many cultures. Viewing the industry through the lens of history is helpful because it reveals the close relationship between the shape of hospitality and the needs and expectations of different societies, this is because societies will continue to change in what they need and want. Besides that, the hospitality industry is also extends over a wide range businesses, each of which is dedicated to the service of people away from home. Nowadays, the main components of the industry are those that satisfy a guests need for shelter and lodging and those that provide their patrons with food service. Other than that, when imagined us as the manger of executive chef of a fine restaurant, a general manger at a supreme and luxury hotel, resort or at a casino. These are all possibilities but our choices are wider than perhaps our ever dreamed. A hospitality management degree or diploma and experience can connect us to a network of careers in travel, tourism, leisure and recreation, simply because of the scope of these related enterprises. Besides that, there are also some advantage and disadvantage for each business and staff. Lodging Hotels and resorts have been compared to miniature cities in the way that they incorporate life support system such like light, heat, food, shelter, security, water and sanitation facilities. Normally lodging establishment always include within their city limits elements of recreation, food service, entertainment and personal services for travelers. There are close to a dozen major categories of lodging facilities, ranging from tiny bed and breakfasts to the latest development, megaresorts. The niches in between these extreme consists of commercial hotel, airport hotel, economy properties, residential hotels, casino hotel, resorts and suite hotels. The goal of all businesses is to link or match supply with demand example like: hotels want to sell room and other kinds of services to guests who provide their demand. Every business should bringing supply and demand together to make a profit. Supply is such a holistic concept in a service industry like lodging; that must be considered as a whole or through system and cannot simply as disconnected pieces of puzzles. Supply includes of tangibles, suck like hotel type and physical amenities, and intangibles, or such like the many personal services there provided by the lodging staff. Other than that, demand is same means with customers needs and wants, is often changing and varied. There are many consumer groups or market segments that demand certain types of lodging facilities to satisfy the customer expectation or needs. Advantages View on the angle of economics, the advantage of lodging in hospitality industry is the ability to provide a product or service of superior quality and reasonable cost is what a company should pay to produce or provide it. A comparative advantage is when a company can provide something of comparable value at a lower cost, which can result that in a lower price for the customer than the competition offers. Another advantage is localization. The country, the city and other specific place where it is located influences its competitive advantage abilities over other hotels, example like: a specific city can have lower opportunity costs for specializing hotel service due to lower costs for other services or goods on which the hotel may rely. Prices are an important factor for lodging industry advantage. Even the services are good and the localization is suitable, but hotels with high prices will probably not survive so long and the guest will stop to coming and buying the service, no matter how good it is. Therefore, hotels must be giving a lower price to their customers. One of the sources of comparative advantage is natural environment. Sun, sea and sand are great environments with which to surround a hotel or resort. In some cold country, with cold environments, proximity to ski slopes and quality entertainment contributes to a hotels or resorts comparative advantage. Disadvantages One of the source disadvantages of lodging in hospitality industry is environment. With the growing concern for the environment, customers and other interested parties have begun making environmental demands upon the lodging industry. There are two primary areas of environmental concerns for the lodging industry, which are site pollution and internal operational ecological. Site pollution means that concern arise when the lodging facility is built without regard for the surrounding natural environment. Internal operational ecological issues have to do with how the facility conserves resources. Another source of disadvantage of lodging in hospitality industry is technology. The issue of technology in the lodging industry consist the application of computerized methods to replace processes previously done by hand. When compared with other industries, the lodging industry has been a latecomer in computerizing its operation. Sophisticated hotel management systems assist general and departmental management in more effective operations. Other than that, both chain affiliated and individual independent hotels are linked to national and international markets through computerized reservation system. Food Service The preparation and delivery of food to guests and travelers is another seemingly omnipresent category closely connected with lodging, travel and recreation. The hospitality industry is, in many ways, like an extension of families. Hotels and restaurants house and feed people when they are away from their home, as do hospitals, schools and prisons. A food service operation is an organization outside the home that prepares food for people, either for sale, as in a restaurant, or as part of a service, as in a hospital. Food service operations do the very same things as we do at home to produce meals for our families. Professionalism in food service management is essential in todays highly competitive market. This overview of food service management is intended to demonstrate the scope and seriousness of food service management and to underscore the importance of professional training or education for potential food service managers. Besides that, food service management can be wonderfully fulfilling, fun and satisfying, but only if we are properly to manage. Advantages New staff come to an industry sometimes have advantages over more experienced professionals. In a job hunt, junior professionals can have an advantage over their more experienced counterparts. Prospective employees always view the less experienced workers as more trainable and more coachable than their senior. This means that, the mature professional who has already excelled in a first career can, with credibility, change careers and transfer skills to other industries. Another advantage of working in food service industry is jobs for all. The food service line such as restaurant has many positions. Anyone with just a basic education or degree from a college will be able to work at this line. A people with good education example like degree, they can work as manager, assistant manager or other such management positions. Besides that, a person with a lower education, they can work as table cleaners, waiters, dishwashers and so on. Moreover, as one gains experience, he or she can get a job advancement receiving better pay. Location is also one of the advantages in food service industry, because there is not location specific. No matter where we live, we can easily to find a restaurants, its just a pierces of cake. Even we need to find a job, we also can get it easily, because that is too many restaurants in the world. Disadvantages Newcomers to the field may have disadvantage compared to their senior. Almost by definition, the inexperienced professional such like a young person who has recently earned a college degree is less tested and less experienced than senior managers, so the resume and cover letter of the inexperienced professional may always have to sell their potential to do something his or her never done before. Lack of experience in the field he or she wants to enter can be a stumbling block to the junior manager. Competition is one of disadvantage in food service industry. Food service is big business and has become so complex that it is less and less feasible for nonprofessionals to succeed using seat of the pants ways. Some restaurants fail in their first year, it is because their creators naively believed they could succeed through optimism or by winging it. Professional managers or staffs learn to look for and recognize trends, through reading magazines and newspaper, and generally keeping up to date, paying attention to what consumers say and do. After that, another disadvantage in food service industry is environment. Energy conservation, hazardous chemical disposal, and waste management are important to food service managers. How these agents are used and disposed of affects the health and safety of the staff and the health of the world. Many companies are seeking methods to reduce excess waste before purchasing. By that, we are not likely to see purchasing agents carrying string bags and canvas tote, we are already seeing them weigh waste factors in the bidding process. Conclusion The hospitality industry is one that is primary focused on customer satisfaction. For the most part, it is built on leisure or is supreme-based, as opposed to meeting basic needs and wants. Some of the business that the hospitality industry garners is transient and intermittent, but collectively, it accounts for a large source of its revenue. Moreover, exceptional service is normally very important for all of these businesses. Customer satisfaction normally leads to consumer loyalty, which assists to make sure the success of a company in the hospitality industry. Other kinds of services in the hospitality industry include of special event planning for social and corporate functions. Finally, an advanced hospitality and tourism degree may not be required for all management positions in the hospitality industry, but working our way up through the ranks can mean years of lost income potential and missed opportunities. By upgrading our academic training, we will advance faster and have m ore careers open to us. Question 2 Find out the factors that affecting travel and tourism. Explain in detail Introduction Obviously, the travel and tourism play an important role in the hospitality industry. Some parts of the industry, such like hotels are derive almost all of their sales from travelers. Even through, the food service attributes roughly 25 percent of its sales to travelers. Other than that, there are also many leisure oriented businesses with a major food service and hospitality component are also dependent on travelers, such like theme park, shopping mall and so on. As employment in smokestack industries that is manufacturing which was falls, the service in industries, including those businesses serving travelers, should be take up the slack by providing new jobs. In the economy as a whole, the importance of tourism and the hospitality industry is increasing each year, because tourism is health of the hospitality industry. Tourism is the collection of productive businesses and governmental organizations that serve the travelers ways from home. These kinds of organizations include resta urants, hotels, motels and resorts. The industry also consist those organizations that support these firms retail activities, including of publications, advertising companies, travel research and development agencies, and transportation equipment manufactures. Travel trends are significant to students or family of hospitality because they represent the way in which many of guests reach. This is where much of business comes from. Answer of Question 2 Why do people like to travel? There are two reasons for travel which is wanderlust and sunlust. A lot of young people have to hope that to travel and see cultures of the country and to get the experience of travel; this is call wanderlust. However, sunlust is means that other people want to go somewhere warm and escape from climate for a while. There are also other motivating factors, which include relaxation, escape from a boring life, socialization with friend, rest and prestige. These kinds of motivating factors have not really changed over the years. Besides that, tourism growth continues to be fueled by more leisure time, enabling factors, technology factors, income, and demographic. Figure Factors Affecting Travel and Tourism Leisure Time The reason why for the increase in leisure time is people has more time off from work or school holidays. Most company vacation policies have become more liberal. Besides that, the number of legal, paid holidays has increased and, significantly for tourism, more of these are timed so as to supply three day weekends. Although the typical work week has stayed at 40 hours for many years, flexible scheduling arrangements have also added to peoples leisure time. Enabling Factors Some people have motivators for wanting to go on holiday, but there are some reasons why they cant go. The main reasons are money and time. If cant afford it, means that the people cant go. Having enough time and money are examples of enabling factors. There are also another enabling factors which include: availability of travel such as flights to different locations; suitable products example like range of different holidays; owning a car, therefore can be travel more easily; marketing of a destination for bringing attention; and ease of booking. These types of enabling factors allow the people to act on their motivators. When investigate the change of customers needs and wants, it will be help to find out more enabling factors. Technology Factors Technological changes within tourism surround several different factors from medical advances to the innovative space tourism. Similar to tourism, technology is an ever changing and sometimes unstable business. Better communication, transport and safety have encouraged new customers to the industry. Besides that, the main impact of new technology on consumers has been Internet, which has given people the chance to be more independent and make their own travel and holiday plans and arrangements. Through technological advances, online booking has been one of the biggest factors in affecting tourism, recreation and leisure in todays world. On average residents in the United Kingdom spend 164 minutes online every day compared to 148 minutes watching television. This show that how much the internet is now an integral part of life and has had an effect on other aspects influencing the tourism business. More of more people are now booking their holiday on the internet, as many people are lo oking for a better priced deal than they are being offered by their travel agent. In additional, nowadays, most consumers want easier, quicker and cheaper service only technology has helped tourism fulfill the customers need. Income The two income family has become more and more important factor in travel. Nowadays, the women desire that they can work at outside. A two income family is adds to the familys security, and not only increases total family income. If another partner loses a job, that does not eliminate all of the familys income. There are many motivates for women to work at outside the home. The main reasons are career and necessity. A lot of women choose to be in the workforce for professional and career reasons and for the challenge, stimulation and variety that working provide. Another reason, for many woman, however is to maintain the family income at a level affords the family a satisfying and comfortable lifestyle. In some cases, family members have shifted from highly paid manufacturing work to less well paid occupations, always in the service sector. Thus, some women work at least in part because they have to maintain their family income. Furthermore, almost all two income families have no tim e. When they both go work, the household chores still need to be complete and the parent will normally behest their children to cared about it. This means that many people may have to sacrifice leisure time for household and family maintenance chores. So that, when they do get away, time is at a premium. Through sensitive to price or value comparisons, these travelers generally seek good value for their money rather than low cost recreational experiences. Demographic According to the middle ageing America, that has suggested the impact of demographic changes on tourism. Middle age generally means higher income and a greater propensity to travel. The ages of the middle age group are between 35 until 44. This age group is most likely to use hotels and to take longer trips. Close behind them are the 45 till 54 year olds. Besides that, another significant demographic development for tourism is the growth in the mature market, that is, people over 55 years old. Although, this group represents a smaller share of household income, people 55 and over control over half of household wealth. The people in this age group can use their retirement pay to travel. The pattern of growth in the mature market suggests two subsegments that will be very important. The 55 -65 year old group, which will grow by a remarkable two thirds from 1995 to 2010, as the first baby boomers move into their and learning to deal with extended leisure, that is the ability to take longer vacations as seniority increases vacation entitlements and as retirement approaches or as early retirement permits. Another growth segment is at the extreme of the mature market, who are over 85 year old. The needs of people in this group do suggest a major expansion in assisted living facilities, but they also suggest opportunities for family travel that involve grandparents and grandchildren or all three generations. Safety and Security Issues A challenge is to protect travellers as they move across this huge industry using by rail, hotels and restaurants, buses, cruise ships and airports. There are some security and safety issues which are: Airport security seen as priority, so can attracts more investment. But this may leave traveler exposed to risks at other points in their journey. Expense of technological solutions to detect terrorists. Political barriers prevent a global response to risks. Not all countries have same view of security tasks. Impact on individuals of anti terror measures likely to increase inconvenience os some travel options. Conclusion The most common reason for travelling is for pleasure and business. More people prefer to travel by car than by other transports such like airplane, motorcycle, bus and so on. Travel by air increased over the last 10 years but fell somewhat when fares began to rise, suggesting that travel is price sensitive, because it is too expensive. The economic significance of tourism is clear: Tourism ranks in the top three for total business receipts. Besides that, about one in twenty people is employed in an activity supported by travel expenditures. Indeed, communities seeking potential employers may profitably use tourism as an attraction. The United Kingdom is also an international tourist attractions, its popularity often based on the value of the UK dollar versus that of other currencies, as well as a number of others factors. Other than that, in looking at air travel, the organization should considered the competition between hub and spoke and point to point airline systems and the stre ngths and weakness of both. At last, the travel industry although brash will always be around due to the need and want of consumers to travel.

Empiricism and Connie

Although Connie works hard to present the appearance of being a mature woman who is experienced with men, her encounter with Arnold reveals that this is only a performance. She has created an attractive adult persona through her clothing, hairstyle, and general behavior and gets the attention she desires from boys. But Connie confuses her ability to command attention from boys with her desire to actually have them pursue her in a sexual way.The love and romance evident in songs she listens to and images of pop culture that surround her are much different from the reality of adult sexuality. Although Connie does experiment with sexuality, such as when she goes into the alley with Eddie, she is fearful of actually becoming an adult. Arnold Friend takes her by force into adulthood, but this violent act represents a shift within Connie herself: the abandoning of childlike fantasy for the realities of being a mature woman.Although Connie works hard to present the appearance of being a mat ure woman who is experienced with men, her encounter with Arnold reveals that this is only a performance.She has created an attractive adult persona through her clothing, hairstyle, and general behavior and gets the attention she desires from boys. But Connie confuses her ability to command attention from boys with her desire to actually have them pursue her in a sexual way. The love and romance evident in songs she listens to and images of pop culture that surround her are much different from the reality of adult sexuality.

Pakistan Elections Essay

Whilst the tenure of a democratically elected government comes to an end, political parties in Pakistan are gearing up for elections. Almost all significant parties have ruled the country one way or the other during the past five years. Perhaps, Elections 2013 are going to take place at the most critical time in the history of country. On the verge of selling their story to the public, the anti-status quo parties will have to produce a revolutionary and out of the box solutions to people’s problems, or to befool the masses yet once more. The energetic and aggressive media in its present capacity remains a major factor to influence minds. Still there is a big question mark on whether media can play their role positively and constructively. At the moment, media is the only institution which has the power to make or break the future of the country. Now when elections are just around the corner, any possible equation hinting at the postponement of elections is out of questions. Several attempts have been made and number of rumors has been floating but recent developments suggest that any such effort to derail the electoral system will not be supported by establishment. It is believed that three major factors will decide the outcome of the upcoming elections. First and foremost is an international issue, i.e. withdrawal of US and ISAF troops from Afghanistan. Three major parties (PPP, PML (N) and PTI) are on a serious quest of convincing US officials that their leadership will be the right choice to handle Afghan borders when US withdraws their troops. Two other factors will be internal but international community is keeping a close eye on it, namely economy and energy crisis. These elections will be dominated by these issues and any party who can provide solution for these problems can ultimately dominate the election results. This is slightly an idealistic statement; given the electoral process in Pakistan has its own dynamics. Yet these issues will affect the outcome of these elections a great deal. Country’s economy is severely jolted by poor economic decisions and terrorism. IMF has already declined any further assistance on economic revival. Terrorism and mismanagement of resources have coupled to shatter the economy of the country. More alarmingly, next budget is to be prepared by care taker government which is not likely present a popular budget. They will also be hesitant of making any tough decisions with little mandate. Looking for a next installment in terrorism support fund or Kerry-Lugar package will be the ultimate desire as the care taker government will not be in a position to bargain for a bail-out package from the international community. No political party has been able to assure USA that they have the most viable strategy to facilitate US exit from Afghanistan, establish peace in the region, resolution to the border issues with Afghanistan & India and controlling the growing militancy in the country. Other issues that will be of immense importance for next government include controlling the law and order situation in Karachi, de-weaponiza tion in the country, establishing the writ of state in Balochistan and FATA, a cohesive national agenda, new provinces, minimizing corruption, land reforms, farmer-friendly agricultural policy and importantly for a common man; the inflation. It will be little unfair not to discuss Tahir-ul-Qadri factor for electoral reform in these elections. Regardless of what TUQ achieved with this entire exercise, it is imperative that he certainly had an impact on pushing election commission for strict electoral reforms. All of a sudden, election commission approved rules of qualification for contesting elections and party elections etc. This is more for self-survival than for any sincere efforts for transparent elections. Elections in Pakistan have their own dynamics. This is why parties enchanting slogans of change have to get the ‘electable’ candidates in each constituency. Not only PML(N) has to embrace the once Musharraf’s supporters and PPP has to break into PML(N) and PML(Q) but a party like PTI also had to get the feudal lords, Musharraf’s supporters and infamous politicians. Fortunately for the people and unfortunately for the political parties, there has been significant awareness about electing the right candidate regardless of any party, race, prejudice, cast or other factors. In this tricky scenario, parties are trying to portray themselves as righteous and honorable entities; at the same time, they are playing their cards on the other front very effectively, i.e. dirty politics! Thanks largely to vibrant electronic and print media in Pakistan. Next few weeks will give a clearer picture of which political party is going to utilize this opportunity. But one thing can be stated with conviction that these elections will be unlike all previous elections in Pakistan. As mentioned earlier, media have the most crucial role to play. These are no doubt the most crucial elections in Pakistan after 1970. These elections will decide Pakistan’s destiny in next few decades.

French Pronominal Verbs Require a Reflexive Pronoun

French  pronominal verbs are accompanied by the reflexive pronoun  se  or  s  preceding the infinitive, thus, the grammatical term pronominal, which means relating to a pronoun. All conjugated  verbs, with the exception of the imperative  form, require a  subject pronoun.  Pronominal verbs also need a reflexive pronoun, like this: Nous nous habillons.   Were getting dressed (dressing ourselves).Tu te baignes.   Youre taking a bath (bathing yourself). There are a few kinds of French pronominal verbs. But in general, we can say the action and, thus construction, of the pronominal verb is reflexive, reciprocal or idiomatic.  Ã‚   Three Types of Pronominal Verbs Reflexive verbsReciprocal verbsIdiomatic pronominal verbs There are two steps in conjugating pronominal verbs. First, take the reflexive pronoun se, make it agree with the subject of the verb, and place it directly in front of the verb. Then, as with all verbs, conjugate the infinitive according to whether its a regular  -er, -ir, -re  verb or an irregular verb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Elle se brosse les dents.  Ã‚  Shes brushing her teeth.Vous vous levez tard.  Ã‚  You get up late. Review what pronominal verbs look like when conjugated in all the simple tenses  and use examples to practice recognizing and using them.   French Reflexive Verbs   The most common pronominal verbs are reflexive verbs (verbes à   sens rà ©flà ©chi), which indicate that the subject of the verb is performing the action upon himself, herself, or itself. Reflexive verbs mainly have to do with parts of the body,  clothing, personal circumstance  or location. Note that when referring to parts of the body, the French  possessive pronoun  is rarely used; instead, the owner is indicated with a  reflexive pronoun  and a  definite article  precedes the body part. Some common reflexive verbs:   Ã‚  Ã‚  sadresser à  Ã‚  Ã‚  to address, speak to  Ã‚  Ã‚  sapprocher de  Ã‚  to approach  Ã‚  Ã‚  sasseoir  Ã‚  to sit down  Ã‚  Ã‚  se baigner  Ã‚  to bathe, swim  Ã‚  Ã‚  se brosser (les cheveux, les dents)  Ã‚  to brush (ones hair, ones teeth)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se casser (la jambe, le bras)  Ã‚  to break (ones leg, ones arm)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se coiffer  Ã‚  to fix ones hair  Ã‚  Ã‚  se coucher  Ã‚  to go to bed  Ã‚  Ã‚  se couper  Ã‚  Ã‚  to cut oneself  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©pà ªcher  Ã‚  Ã‚  to hurry  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©shabiller  Ã‚  to get undressed  Ã‚  Ã‚  se doucher  Ã‚  to take a shower  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©nerver  Ã‚  to get annoyed  Ã‚  Ã‚  senrhumer  Ã‚  to catch a cold  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fà ¢cher  Ã‚  to get angry  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fatigue  Ã‚  to get tired  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fier  Ã‚  to trust  Ã‚  Ã‚  shabiller  Ã‚  to get dressed  Ã‚  Ã‚  shabituer à  Ã‚  Ã‚  to get used to  Ã‚  Ã‚  simaginer  Ã‚  to imagine  Ã‚  Ã‚  sintà ©resser à  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to be interested in  Ã‚  Ã‚  se laver (les mains, la figure)  Ã‚  to wash (ones hands, ones face)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se lever  Ã‚  to get up  Ã‚  Ã‚  se maquiller  Ã‚  to put on makeup  Ã‚  Ã‚  se marier (avec)  Ã‚  to get married (to)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se mà ©fier de  Ã‚  to mistrust, distrust, beware of/about  Ã‚  Ã‚  se moquer de  Ã‚  to make fun of (someone else)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se moucher  Ã‚  to blow ones nose  Ã‚  Ã‚  se noyer  Ã‚  to drown  Ã‚  Ã‚  se peigner  Ã‚  to comb ones hair  Ã‚  Ã‚  se promener  Ã‚  to take a walk  Ã‚  Ã‚  se raser  Ã‚  to shave  Ã‚  Ã‚  se refroidir  Ã‚  to cool down, get cold  Ã‚  Ã‚  se regarder  Ã‚  to look at oneself  Ã‚  Ã‚  se reposer  Ã‚  to rest  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rà ©veiller  Ã‚  to wake up  Ã‚  Ã‚  se soà »ler  Ã‚  to get drunk  Ã‚  Ã‚  se souvenir de  Ã‚  to remember  Ã‚  Ã‚  se taire  Ã‚  to be quiet Examples: Tu te reposes.   Youre resting.Il se là ¨ve à   8h00.  Ã‚  He gets up at 8:00. Reflexive Verbs With a Nonreflexive Use Note that many reflexive verbs also have a nonreflexive use; that is, they can describe someone performing the action of the verb on someone or something else:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Elle se promà ¨ne.  Ã‚  Shes taking a walk.vs.Elle promà ¨ne le chien.  Ã‚  Shes taking the dog for a walk; Shes walking the dog.Je me lave les mains.  Ã‚  Im washing my hands.vs.Je lave le bà ©bà ©.   Im washing the baby. Note that some verbs that are normally not pronominal may be used with a reflexive pronoun in order to avoid the passive voice.  This construction is known as the passive reflexive. Reflexive verbs are the most common type of pronominal verb. But there are also two lesser-known types: reciprocal verbs and idiomatic pronominal verbs.   French Reciprocal Verbs   While reflexive verbs tell you that one or more subjects are acting upon themselves, reciprocal verbs (verbes à   sens rà ©ciproque)  indicate that there are two or more subjects acting on one another. Here are the most common French reciprocal verbs:   Ã‚  sadorer   to adore (one another)  Ã‚  Ã‚  saimer  Ã‚  to love  Ã‚  Ã‚  sapercevoir  Ã‚  to see  Ã‚  Ã‚  se comprendre  Ã‚  to understand  Ã‚  Ã‚  se connaà ®tre  Ã‚  to know  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©tester  Ã‚  to hate  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dire  Ã‚  to tell  Ã‚  Ã‚  se disputer  Ã‚  to argue  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©crire  Ã‚  to write to  Ã‚  Ã‚  sembrasser  Ã‚  to kiss  Ã‚  Ã‚  se parler  Ã‚  to talk to  Ã‚  Ã‚  se promettre  Ã‚  to promise  Ã‚  Ã‚  se quitter  Ã‚  to leave  Ã‚  Ã‚  se regarder  Ã‚  to look at  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rencontrer  Ã‚  to meet  Ã‚  Ã‚  se sourire  Ã‚  to smile at  Ã‚  Ã‚  se tà ©là ©phoner  Ã‚  to call  Ã‚  Ã‚  se voir  Ã‚  to see Reciprocal verbs can also be used without the pronoun for a nonreciprocal meaning:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Nous nous comprenons.   We understand each other.vs.Nous comprenons la question.  Ã‚  We understand the question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ils saiment.  Ã‚  They love each other.vs.Ils maiment.   They love me. French Idiomatic Pronominal Verbs   Idiomatic pronominal verbs (verbes à   sens idiomatique)  are verbs that take on a different meaning when used with a reflexive pronoun. Here are the most common French idiomatic pronominal verbs (and their non-pronominal meanings):   Ã‚  sen aller  Ã‚  to go away  Ã‚  Ã‚  (to go)  Ã‚  Ã‚  samuser  Ã‚  to have a good time (to amuse)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sappeler  Ã‚  to be named (to call)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sapproprier   to appropriate (to suit, adapt to)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sarrà ªter  Ã‚  to stop (oneself) (to stop [s.o. or s.t. else])  Ã‚  Ã‚  sattendre (à  )  Ã‚  to expect (to wait for)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se demander  Ã‚  to wonder (to ask)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©brouiller  Ã‚  to manage, get by (to disentangle)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dà ©pà ªcher  Ã‚  to hurry (to send quickly)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se diriger vers  Ã‚  to head toward (to run, be in charge of)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se douter  Ã‚  to suspect (to doubt)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©clipser  Ã‚  to slip away/out (to eclipse, overshadow)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©loigner  Ã‚  to move (oneself, s.t.) away  Ã‚  Ã‚  sendormir  Ã‚  to fall asleep (to put to sleep)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sennuyer  Ã‚  to be bored (to bother)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sentendre  Ã‚  to get along (to hear)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se fà ¢cher  Ã‚  to get angry (to make angry)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se figurer  Ã‚  to imagine, picture (to represent, to appear)  Ã‚  Ã‚  shabituer à  Ã‚  Ã‚  to get used to (to get in the habit of)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sinquià ©ter  Ã‚  to worry (to alarm)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sinstaller  Ã‚  to settle in (to a home) (to install)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se mettre à  Ã‚   to begin to (to place, put)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se perdre  Ã‚  to get lost (to lose)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se plaindre  Ã‚  to complain (to pity, begrudge)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se refuser de  Ã‚  to deny oneself (the opportunity)o  Ã‚  Ã‚  (to refuse)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre à  Ã‚  Ã‚  to go to (to return)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre  compte de  Ã‚  to realize (to account for)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rà ©unir  Ã‚  to meet, get together (to gather, collect)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se servir  Ã‚  to use, make use of (to serve)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se tromper  Ã‚  to be mistaken (to deceive)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se trouver  Ã‚  to be located (to find) See how the meaning changes when idiomatic pronominal verbs are used with and without the reflexive pronoun.   Ã‚  Je mappelle Sandrine.  Ã‚  My name is Sandrine.vs.Jappelle Sandrine.  Ã‚  Im calling Sandrine.   Ã‚  Tu te trompes.  Ã‚  You are mistaken.vs.Tu me trompes.   You are deceiving me. Word Order with Pronominal Verbs Placement of the reflexive pronoun is exactly the same as for  object pronouns  and  adverbial pronouns:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Je mhabille.  Ã‚  Im getting dressed.Tu te reposeras.   You will rest.Il se levait quand...  Ã‚  He was getting up when... The pronoun directly precedes the verb in all tenses and moods, except the affirmative  imperative, when it follows the verb, attached by a hyphen: Repose-toi. Rest.Habillons-nous.   Lets get dressed. Pronominal Verbs in the Negative With  negation,  ne  precedes the reflexive pronoun: Je ne mhabille pas.  Ã‚  Im not getting dressed.Tu ne te reposes jamais.  Ã‚  You never rest. Pronominal Verbs in the Interrogative Questions  with pronominal verbs are usually asked with  est-ce que  and the  reflexive pronoun  once again stays directly in front of the verb. If you use  inversion, the reflexive pronoun precedes the inverted subject-verb: Est-ce quil se rase  ? Se rase-t-il  ?Is he shaving? Est-ce que tu te laves les mins  ? Te laves-tu les mains  ?Are you washing your hands? Pronominal Verbs in the Negative Interrogative To ask a negative question with pronominal verbs, you sort of have to use inversion. The reflexive pronoun stays directly in front of the inverted subject-verb, and  the negative structure surrounds that whole group: Ne se rase-t-il pas  ?Isnt he shaving? Ne te laves-tu jamais les mains ?Dont you ever wash your hands? Pronominal Verbs in Compound Tenses In  compound tenses  like the  passà © composà ©, all pronominal verbs are  Ãƒ ªtre verbs, which means two things: The auxiliary verb is  Ãƒ ªtre.The past participle may need to agree with the subject in gender and number. In compound tenses, the reflexive pronoun precedes the auxiliary verb, not the past participle: Elle sest couchà ©e à   minuit.She went to bed at midnight. Ils sà ©taient vus à   la banque.They had seen one another at the bank. Aprà ¨s mà ªtre habillà ©, jai allumà © la tà ©là ©.After getting dressed, I turned on the TV. Agreement with Pronominal Verbs When pronominal verbs are  in the compound tenses, the past participle has to agree with the reflexive pronoun when the pronoun is a  direct object  but not when its an  indirect object. So the trick is to figure out whether the reflexive pronoun is direct or indirect. 1.  For most  pronominal verbs that are not followed by a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the  direct object, so the past participle needs to agree with it. See number five  below for instances when the reflexive pronoun is an  indirect  pronoun. Nous nous sommes douchà ©s.We showered. \Marianne sest fà ¢chà ©e.Marianne got mad. 2.  Likewise, with a pronominal verb plus a preposition plus a noun, the reflexive pronoun is the direct object, so you need agreement. Elle sest occupà ©e du chien.She took care of the dog. Ils se sont souvenus de la pià ¨ce.They remembered the play. 3.  When a pronominal verb is followed directly by a noun with  no preposition in between, the reflexive pronoun is indirect, therefore there is no agreement. Nous nous sommes achetà © une voiture.NOT  Nous nous sommes achetà ©s une voiture.We bought ourselves a car. Elle sest dit la và ©rità ©.NOT  Elle sest dite la và ©rità ©.She told herself the truth. 4.  When you have a sentence with a reflexive pronoun plus  an object pronoun, the reflexive pronoun is always the  indirect object, so there is no agreement with it. However, there  is  agreement with the object pronoun, per the rules of  direct object pronoun agreement. Nous nous le sommes achetà ©.  (Le livre  is masculine.)We bought it (the book) for ourselves. Nous nous la sommes achetà ©e.  (La voiture  is feminine.)We bought it (the car) for ourselves. Elle se lest dit.  (Le mensonge  is masculine.)She told it (the lie) to herself. Elle se lest dite.  (La và ©rità ©Ã‚  is feminine.)She told it (the truth) to herself. 5.  For the following verbs, the reflexive pronoun is always an indirect object, so the past participle does not agree with it. In the abbreviations below, e.o. means each other and o.s. means oneself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  sacheter   to buy (for) o.s.  Ã‚  Ã‚  se demander  Ã‚  to wonder  Ã‚  Ã‚  se dire  Ã‚  to say (to o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se donner  Ã‚  to give (to e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  sà ©crire  Ã‚  to write (to e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se faire mal   to hurt o.s.  Ã‚  Ã‚  simaginer  Ã‚  to imagine, think  Ã‚  Ã‚  se parler  Ã‚  to talk (to o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se plaire (à   faire...)   to enjoy (doing...)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se procurer  Ã‚  to obtain (for o.s.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se promettre  Ã‚  to promise (o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se raconter  Ã‚  to tell (e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre compte de  Ã‚  to realize  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rendre visite  Ã‚  to visit  (e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se reprocher   to criticize, blame (o.s./e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se ressembler  Ã‚  to resemble (e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se rire  (de qqun)  Ã‚  to mock (someone)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se sourire  Ã‚  to smile (at e.o.)  Ã‚  Ã‚  se tà ©là ©phoner  Ã‚  to call (e.o.) Nous nous sommes souri.NOT  Nous nous sommes souris.We smiled at each other. Elles se sont parlà ©.NOT  Elles se sont parlà ©es.They talked to each other. Pronominal Verbs in the Infinitive or Present Participle When using pronominal verbs in the  infinitive  or  present participle, there are two things to keep in mind: The reflexive pronoun directly precedes the infinitive or present participle.The reflexive pronoun agrees with its implied subject. Pronominal Verbs in Dual-Verb Constructions Dual-verb constructions  are those where you have a verb like  aller  (to go) or  vouloir  (to want) followed by an infinitive. When using a pronominal verb in this construction, its important to remember that the reflexive pronoun goes directly in front of the infinitive, not the conjugated verb, and that the reflexive pronoun has to agree with the subject. Je vais mhabiller.Im going to get dressed. Nous voulons nous promener.We want to go for a walk. Tu devrais te laver les cheveux.You should wash your hair. Pronominal Verbs after Prepositions When you use pronominal verbs in the infinitive after prepositions, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb. Avant de te coucher, range ta chambre.Before you go to bed, clean your room. Il faut trouver un juge pour nous marier.We have to find a judge to get married. Pronominal Verbs Used as Subjects To use pronominal verbs in the infinitive as subjects at the beginning of a sentence, remember to change the reflexive pronoun to agree with the implied subject of the verb: Me lever tà ´t est une rà ¨gle de ma vie.Getting up early is a rule for me. Te moquer de ton frà ¨re nest pas gentil.Making fun of your brother isnt nice. Pronominal Verbs  as Present Participles Once again, the reflexive pronoun always has to agree with the subject, including when pronominal verbs are used as present participles: En me levant, jai entendu un cri.While getting up, I heard a scream. Cà ©tait en vous inquià ©tant que vous avez attrapà © un ulcà ¨re.It was by worrying that you got an ulcer.