The Reflexive Verbs in Spanish
When and How do we use the reflexive verbs?
The Reflexive verbs are used when the action is performed on the speaker.
For example, I get dressed at 7:00 a.m. - Yo me visto a las 7 a.m.
They are constructed with a reflexive pronoun: (me, te, se, nos). Many of these verbs are used in our daily routine.
This is the way we use them in an affirmative sentence with the subject pronouns.
Vestirse – Get Dressed
- Yo me visto – I get dressed
- Tú te vistes – You get dressed
- Usted se viste - You get dressed
- Él se viste – He gets dressed
- Ella se viste – She gets dressed
- Ustedes se visten - You get dressed
- Nosotros nos vestimos – We get dressed
- Nosotras nos vestimos - We get dressed
- Ellos se visten –They get dressed
- Ellas se visten - They get dressed
The negative form:
In the negative form we add “no” before the reflexive pronoun like this:
- Yo no me levanto temprano – I don’t get up early.
- Ella no se baña en la noche – She doesn’t take a shower at night.
The Imperative form:
In the imperative form, the pronoun goes at the end in the affirmative form and at the beginning in the negative form.
- No te cepilles los dientes – Don’t brush your teeth.
- ¡Levántese! – Get up!
The Present progressive form:
In the present progressive we have two ways to say it as in the following examples:
- Yo no me estoy bañando – I’m not taking a shower
- Yo no estoy bañándome - I’m not taking a shower
- Él se está bañando – He is taking a shower
- Él está bañándose - He is taking a shower
Reciprocal Verbs:
Some Reflexive verbs are reciprocal. It means that they involve two or more people in the action.
- Kiss each other – Besarse.
- Love each other – Amarse.
- Let’s hide – Escondámonos.
The most common reciprocal verbs are:
- Ayudarse- Help each other
- Conocerse – Meet each other
- Pelearse – Fight each other
Some verbs change their meaning in the reflexive form:
- Yo me llamo Santiago – My name is Santiago.
- Yo voy a llamar a mi mamá – I’m going to call my mother.
- Perdí mis llaves - I lost my keys.
- Yo me perdí en ese bosque - I got lost in that forest.
Pronominal Verbs
Some verbs exist only in the Reflexive form they are called pronominal verbs.
- Acordarse (de) – To remember something
- Arrepentirse (de) – To regret something
- Atreverse (a) – to dare
- Equivocarse – to be mistaken
- Quejarse (de)- To complain about something
- Resbalarse – To slip
- Suicidarse – To commit suicide
Other common reflexive verbs are:
(Infinitive form)
- Dormirse – Fall asleep
- Peinarse – to Comb
- Maquillarse – To make up
- Acostarse – Go to bed
- Lavarse – Wash
- Mirarse – to look at yourself
- Caerse – To fall down
- Perderse – To get lost
- Enfermarse- To get sick
- Mojarse – To get wet
- Envejecerse – To get old
- Moverse –To move
- Darse cuenta de - To realise
- Casarse – To get married
- Aburrirse – To get bored
- Despertarse – Wake up
Finally, this is a short paragraph using some reflexive pronouns:
Normalmente, yo me despierto a las seis de la mañana y me levanto inmediatamente. Luego me baño, me peino el cabello y me visto. Más o menos a las siete me preparo el desayuno, me cepillo, me pongo las gafas y me miro al espejo para ver como estoy y luego me voy a trabajar. A veces me acuerdo que se me olvida llevar las llaves de mi casa pero no hay problema porque tengo otras en el trabajo. Cuando estoy de regreso en casa, Me acuesto a ver televisión, me cambio la ropa y me organizo para acostarme. Finalmente, me duermo y me preparo para un nuevo día.
**I think that with this knowledge you are going to be able to identify the right use of the reflexive verbs. Try to practice every day and certainly, you are going to improve your level of Spanish. If you have questions don’t hesitate to contact me.
I hope that you have enjoyed the lesson, if you want to learn even more about Spanish, you can have me as your teacher here on Verbling following this link: here.** https://es.verbling.com/teachers/santiago
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