In lesson on car renting it is written: Sie wollen sich für die Zeit eine kleine Wohnung mieten.  Mieten is not reflexive, the accusative object is Wohnung.  So why is sich inserted here?

I asked my german friend about this and she said that sich isn't required here but it is what someone would normally say, I suppose it is like us saying  "they want to rent themselves an apartment."
I notice that this was not the case the car renting lesson, maybe Liss can explain why. I wonder if it is anything to do with the fact that it is someone else who wants to rent the apartment.

Hallo MichaelP59 und sfpugh!

sfpugh, your German friend is right: the sich isn't strictly required here - we could also say Sie wollen für die Zeit eine kleine Wohnung mieten.

The added sich makes the meaning of the sentence clearer: it specifies that they are renting the apartment for themselves, instead of for somebody else. If a speaker felt that it was clear who the apartment (or car) was being rented for (or if they felt that that was irrelevant), then they might well leave the sich out in such a sentence.

I hope this answers your question!

Bis bald,

Liss

Thanks Liss. I guess if you go into a car rental agency and ask to rent a car, it is pretty obvious that that you want it for your self unless you say otherwise. :-)