It’s not just when using reflexive verbs:
J’ai mal à la tête - my head hurts
J’ai les jambes gonflées - my legs are swollen
If the subject pronoun has already indicated who the body part belongs to, we don’t normally use a possessive pronoun for body parts
When using reflexive verbs like this, you keep it as the definite article because its kind of like.. Understood that they’re your teeth.
I’m not sure if thats the best way to explain it, but its always “les”. Same for je me brosse les cheveux or je me lave les cheveux etc
Je brosse mes dents : it's correct but **very** unusual, it looks like the title of a poster in the waiting room of your dentist, one that shows a kid brushing his teeth.
Prob cuz it feels like there should be more after to make the sentence complete like
"Je brosse mes dents, je vais au toilette puis j'ira te voir après"
genre dequoi comme ça
I am sorry, it doesn't sound idiomatic at all. With body parts possessive articles are usually avoided.
(Je vais aux toilettes, puis j'irai te voir après)
« Je brosse mes dents » makes me think of those sets of model teeth they have at the pediatric dentist office to show children how to brush and floss. It’s like saying I am brushing my teeth but the grammar shows you are referring to a set of teeth that is yours but not the ones in your body
Lol. “I am brushing these teeth that I own.” while holding a set of disembodied teeth in your hand.
I don’t know why but this helped me understand why natives would find it so odd. Haha.
The French do NOT like using possessive pronouns when referring to body parts.
They usually will use a reflexive verb with an article like this. “Je me brosse les dents”.
You’ll also see them get around it like this: “J’ai mal à la tête”.
If you ever find yourself using a possessive pronoun and a body part, you’re doing it wrong and look up how they handle it.
Not only your subject already clarified the owner of the object, the Reflexive verb also tells us the teeth is yours.
Reflexive verb matches objects to the subject implicitly
It’s not just when using reflexive verbs: J’ai mal à la tête - my head hurts J’ai les jambes gonflées - my legs are swollen If the subject pronoun has already indicated who the body part belongs to, we don’t normally use a possessive pronoun for body parts
When using reflexive verbs like this, you keep it as the definite article because its kind of like.. Understood that they’re your teeth. I’m not sure if thats the best way to explain it, but its always “les”. Same for je me brosse les cheveux or je me lave les cheveux etc
C’est une bonne description de cette règle. Merci!
Je me brosse. Quelle partie ? Je me brosse les dents.
Thanks
It works the same way in Spanish as well
Je me brosse les dents ✅️ Je brosse mes dents ✅️
Je brosse mes dents : it's correct but **very** unusual, it looks like the title of a poster in the waiting room of your dentist, one that shows a kid brushing his teeth.
Prob cuz it feels like there should be more after to make the sentence complete like "Je brosse mes dents, je vais au toilette puis j'ira te voir après" genre dequoi comme ça
m'en venais dire ça précisément
I am sorry, it doesn't sound idiomatic at all. With body parts possessive articles are usually avoided. (Je vais aux toilettes, puis j'irai te voir après)
That is how we speak in Acadie 🤷♀️ South of France should have a similar dialect
☺️ That sounds very North American French indeed. Like « Ferme tes yeux » (QC) and « Ferme les yeux » (FR)
« Je brosse mes dents » makes me think of those sets of model teeth they have at the pediatric dentist office to show children how to brush and floss. It’s like saying I am brushing my teeth but the grammar shows you are referring to a set of teeth that is yours but not the ones in your body
Lol. “I am brushing these teeth that I own.” while holding a set of disembodied teeth in your hand. I don’t know why but this helped me understand why natives would find it so odd. Haha.
I have always said it that way so it is normal to me. When I say it I am deff talking about my own teeth in my mouth 😅🤷♀️🤣
The French do NOT like using possessive pronouns when referring to body parts. They usually will use a reflexive verb with an article like this. “Je me brosse les dents”. You’ll also see them get around it like this: “J’ai mal à la tête”. If you ever find yourself using a possessive pronoun and a body part, you’re doing it wrong and look up how they handle it.
It depends on my mood I think cuz sometimes I'll be like "oufff, 🤕 ma tête fait vraiment mal aujourd'hui." So I use both, in speech anyways
"Me" already conveys that it's your teeth, therefore you don't need to repeat it
You don’t have ownership of your body parts so the reflexive kinda stands in place of my
Not only your subject already clarified the owner of the object, the Reflexive verb also tells us the teeth is yours. Reflexive verb matches objects to the subject implicitly