French help- nous nous, vous vous

[Cecyhall]

Hi, I've left an essay a bit last minute so I'm hoping that anyone here could help, I've tried googling but can't make head nor tail of the responses.

Can anyone simply explain when I would use nous nous rather than just nous?

I'm so confused!! Thanks

Only use nous nous etc for réflexive, like se laver (actions one does to oneself). Any other verbs one nous or vous will be quite enough.

Hope that helps (and is complete info - I'm hoping someone else will come along and explain better but thought I'd give you something to go on in the meantime).

They're used with reflexive verbs (actions where the subject and the person doing the action are the same)

french.about.com/od/grammar/a/pronominalverbs.htm

My only suggestion is that you use them when the verb is reflexive. In French my name is translates as je m'appelle ( I call myself) the nous form would be nous nous apellons ( we call ourselves).

Hopefully experts will arrive to help soon.

Ok, I think that's helped- do if I was saying we brush our teeth it would be nous nous but if I was saying we go to the beach it would just be nous?

I'm dropping French soon but need to finish this year first, my brain just can't take it!

Thanks everyone!

It was explained to me as being used when you the action affects the state you are in. So if you brush your teeth you are changing something about you but if you go to the beach you are changing the external situation.

I came up with many arguements for breaking this rule and got told to shut up by my french teacher and just accept it as I live out here

Like everyone has said, it's for reflexive verbs, the verbs that you learn with a 'se' in the beginning, like se laver, se lever, se souvenir , se coucher etc.

For example with se lever, to get up, the present tense is like this:

je me lève
tu te lèves
il se lève
nous nous levons
vous vous levez
ils se lèvent

Je ME lave = I wash myself
Je lave la voiture = I wash the car

Je ME brosse les dents = I brush my teeth (ie my own teeth)
Je brosse les dents de ma soeur = I brush my sister's teeth