Usage questions

Question

In the last sentence, "nous nous écrions : "Bonne Année !", why is the verb reflexive, or, why is the second nous, needed?

Accepted Answer

Just to rephrase Maarten's answer: there are couple of French verbs which are only used in their reflexive form, even though their meaning isn't really reflexive. Je me souviens -- I remember -- is one of them. You can't say je souviens. And s'écrier ( to cry out/ to exclaim) is the same. It's always used reflexively, even though in English you don't cry yourself out, you just cry out.

Answer

S'écrier - to cry out or exclaim; It is a pronominal verb only. There is no modern verb "écrier" without the pronominal.

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/essentially-pronominal-verbs/

https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com/definition/ecrier

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/verb-conjugations/ecrier/