French Phrase
Je me brosse toujours les dents.
Meaning
Literally, “I always brush the teeth,” which in English is rendered as “I always brush my teeth.” The reflexive pronoun makes the teeth belong to the speaker.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to emphasize that brushing your teeth is a habit you never skip, for example when talking about your daily routine or answering a question about personal hygiene.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jemebrossetoujourslesdents
Subject pronoun (Je)
The first‑person singular subject pronoun used before a verb.
Reflexive pronoun (me)
Indicates the action is performed on oneself; required with reflexive verbs like se brosser.
Present tense (brosse)
Third‑person singular form of the verb brosser; with a reflexive pronoun it agrees with the subject.
Adverb placement (toujours)
Adverbs of frequency such as toujours normally go after the verb in simple present sentences.
Definite article + noun (les dents)
The direct object of the verb; ‘les dents’ means ‘the teeth.’
🗨In Conversation
Tu te brosses les dents combien de fois par jour ?
How many times do you brush your teeth each day?
Je me brosse toujours les dents le matin et le soir.
I always brush my teeth in the morning and at night.
✕Common Mistakes
Je me brosses toujours les dents.
The verb must agree with the subject; with ‘je’ it should be ‘brosse’ (third‑person singular) because the reflexive construction uses the third‑person form.
Toujours je me brosse les dents.
‘Toujours’ should stay after the verb; placing it before the verb changes the rhythm and sounds unnatural.
Je me brosse toujours dents.
Dropping the article ‘les’ makes the sentence ungrammatical; French requires the definite article with body parts in reflexive constructions.
↔Alternatives
Je me brosse les dents chaque jour.
I brush my teeth every day.
Je me brosse toujours les dents avant de dormir.
I always brush my teeth before going to sleep.
Je n'oublie jamais de me brosser les dents.
I never forget to brush my teeth.
Cultural Tip
In France, dental health is taken seriously; most people visit the dentist twice a year and are taught from childhood to brush twice a day. The phrase uses the reflexive form because you are doing the action to yourself. In informal speech, you’ll also hear “Je me brosse les dents” without ‘toujours’, but adding ‘toujours’ stresses the habit.