Spanish Grammar: Verbs

Reflexive Verbs Defined

This term, which sounds more difficult than it really is, simply means that the verb flexes back upon the noun or pronoun that is its subject. In English the reflexive pronoun always has -self on its end, and we do not use the construction very frequently. In other languages, however, reflexive forms may be used more frequently, and in ways that do not seem very logical to an English speaker. Examples of English reflexive sentences: "He washes himself. " "He seated himself at the table."

In English we say I got up at seven, I washed, shaved, and dressed. In Spanish, however, each of these verbs (got up, washed, shaved, dressed) must be used with a special reflexive pronoun; they are called reflexive verbs.

When the action of a verb is received by the subject (which in Spanish may be either expressed or simply understood), the verb is called reflexive. The object pronoun and the subject refer to the same person, thus me levanto, I get up, means literally I raise myself, and nos levantamos, we get up, means we raise ourselves.

Reflexive verbs are indicated in the dictionary by -se attached to the infinitive: levantarse, lavarse, vestirse.

A verb is made reflexive by the use of one of the following reflexive pronouns. Reflexive pronouns are in the same person as the subject of the verb.

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Table of Reflexive Object Pronouns

	Singular	Plural
1st person	me, myself	nos, ourselves
2nd person	te, yourself (thyself)	os, yourselves (familiar)
3nd person	se, himself, herself yourself, itself	se, themselves, yourselves

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Position of Reflexive Object Pronouns

Reflexive object pronouns are generally placed in front of the conjugated verb.

Me siento.
I sit down.

Nos sentamos.
We sat down.

Me levanté a las siete, y me vestí.
I got up at seven, and I dressed myself.

However, in the following situations the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb.

1. Infinitives.

Voy a ducharme.
I'm going to take a shower.

¿A qué hora tienes que irte?
What time do you have to go?

2. Affirmative commands.

Lávate las manos, Pepe.
Wash your hands, Joe.

¡Siéntese!
Sit down!

Siéntate a mi lado.
Sit next to me.

3. Present participles.

Estaba duchándome cuando ella llegó.
I was taking a shower when she arrived.

Note: In the case of infinitives and present participles, there is also the option of placing the reflexive pronoun before the auxiliary verb.

Me voy a duchar.
I'm going to take a shower.

Me estaba duchando cuando ella llegó.
I was taking a shower when she arrived.

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Uses of the Reflexive

To show that the action expressed points back to the subject, as in English.

Me corto.
I cut myself.

Se mató.
He killed himself.

Me veo en el espejo.
I can see myself in the mirror.

Some verbs in Spanish are used in the reflexive form even though they do not take a reflexive form in English.

Ana se cayó
Ana fell.

When the subject of a sentence is impersonal or indefinite, the reflexive construction is used. The verb is always in the third person singular. (In English sentences of this type, the subject is an impersonal expression, such as one, you, they, people.)

Se dice que es muy atrevido.
It is said that he is very bold.

Se sabe que no podemos evitarlo.
They know we cannot avoid it.

Se creía que nadie vendría a tiempo.
They thought that nobody would come on time.

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MODEL verbs

Study the following examples which illustrate verbs used in nonreflexive and reflexive forms.

El barbero no me afeitó bien.
The barber didn't shave me well.

Me afeito todos los días. (reflexive)
I shave (myself) every day.

Llamé a mi amigo.
I called my friend.

¿Cómo se llama usted? (reflexive)
What is your name?

Me llamo Miguel Gómez. (reflexive)
My name is Michael Gómez.

Lavo los platos después de la comida.
I wash the dishes after dinner.

Me lavo las manos antes de comer. (reflexive)
I wash my hands before eating.

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reflexive in Spanish but not reflexive in English

Frequently there are verbs which are reflexive in one language but not reflexive in another. Just about every verb which is reflexive in English is also reflexive in Spanish, but not the other way around.

Yo me lavo las manos.
I wash my hands.

Él se cansa rápidamente.
He gets tired quickly.

Ella se llama Raquel.
Her name is Raquel.

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List of common Reflexive Verbs in Spanish

The following is a list of common reflexive verbs.

acercarse (a)	to draw near
acostarse	to go to bed
acostumbrarse (a)	to become accustomed
afeitarse	to shave oneself
alegrarse (de)	to be glad
asustarse	to get scared
bañarse	to take a bath
burlarse (de)	to make fun of
caerse	to fall down
callarse	to be quiet
cansarse (de)	to get tired of
casarse (con alguien)	to get married (to someone)
cepillarse	to brush oneself
concentrarse	to concentrate
cortarse	to cut oneself
cortarse el pelo	to cut one's hair
despedirse (de)	to say goodbye to; take leave of
despertarse	to wake up
desvestirse	to undress oneself
detenerse	to stop
divertirse	to have fun
dormirse	to fall asleep
ducharse	to take a shower
enamorarse (de)	to fall in love with
encontrarse (con)	to meet, to bump into
enfadarse	to get angry, mad
enfermarse	to get sick
enojarse	to get angry, mad
enterarse (de)	to find out
equivocarse	to be mistaken
hacerse	to become
hacerse daño	to hurt oneself
irse	to go away
lastimarse	to hurt oneself
lavarse	to wash oneself
levantarse	to stand up, get up
llamarse	to call oneself
maquillarse	to put on make-up
mirarse	to look at oneself
ocuparse (de)	to attend to
olvidarse (de)	to forget
pararse	to stop, to stand up
pasearse/pasear	to take a walk
peinarse	to comb one's hair
ponerse	to become
ponerse (ropa)	to put on (clothing)
preocuparse (por)	to worry (about)
probarse	to try on (clothing)
quedarse	to remain
quemarse	to get burned
quejarse (de)	to complain (about)
quitarse	to take off, remove (clothing)
rascarse	to scratch oneself
reírse (de)	to laugh (at)
retirarse	to withdraw
romperse (el brazo etc.)	to break (one’s arm, etc.)
secarse	to dry oneself
sentarse	to sit down, seat oneself
sentirse	to feel (emotionally, physically)
torcerse (el tobillo etc.)	to twist (one’s ankle, etc.)
verse	to see oneself
vestirse	to get dressed
volverse	to become