Verbos Reflexivos(Reflexive Verbs)

A verb is NOT reflexive when the subject and the direct object are not the same

Ex. I bathe the dog

Subject Verb Direct object

They dry the cat

Subject Verb Direct object

We wake up the girls

Subject Verb Direct object

A verb is reflexive when the subject and the A verb is reflexive when the subject and the direct object are the same.direct object are the same.

Ex. I bathe myself

Subject Verb Direct object

She dries herself

SubjectVerb Direct object

We wake up ourselves

Subject Verb Direct object

When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive verb ends in “se”

Lavar to wash

Lavarse to wash oneself (reflexive)

Peinar to comb

Peinarse to comb oneself (reflexive)

Afeitar to shave

Afeitarse to shave oneself (reflexive)

In Spanish we use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and the direct object are the same.

Reflexive Pronouns

Me (myself)

Te (yourself (inf.))

Se (himself, herself, yourself (form.))

Nos (ourselves)

Se (themselves, yourselves)

The purpose of the reflexive pronouns is to show

that the action of the verb remains with the subject.

Conjugating reflexive verbs

1. Position the reflexive pronoun before the verb.2. Drop the -se ending and conjugate normally.

Ex. Ducharse (to take a shower)I take a shower = Yo me ducho.You (inf) take a shower= Tú te duchas.He takes a shower= Él se ducha. We (f) take a shower= Nosotras nos duchamos.You (pl) take a shower= Ustedes se duchan.They (m) take a shower= Ellos se duchan.

I shave_____________________________

You (formal) shave___________________

You (inf) comb your hair_______________

She puts on makeup__________________

He takes a shower____________________

We (f) brush our teeth__________________

You (pl) put on clothes_________________

They (m) take a shower________________

I put on makeup ______________________

You (inf) brush your teeth_______________

Ejercicios

1. Maria puts on makeup___________________

2. I wash my hair__________________________When using body parts use articles rather than

possessive adjectives.

3. He shaves____________________________

4. I brush my teeth________________________

5. We comb our hair______________________

6. They put on clothes_____________________

7. You (inf) comb your hair__________________

8. Hugo and Patricia brush their teeth

_______________________________________

Llamarse (to call oneself)You have heard of this verb before when you

learned how to say your name.

In Spanish My name is… could be translated in two ways:

1. Mi nombre es…(My name is…)2. Me llamo… (I call myself…)

To ask for other people’s names say: ¿Cómo se llama? (formal) Or ¿Cómo te llamas? (informal) How do you call yourself?

Some reflexive verbs are:

Alegrarse (to become happy)

Divertirse (to have fun) e>ie

Enojarse (to become angry)

Preocuparse (to worry)

Sentirse (to feel) e>ie

Equivocarse (to be wrong)

Caerse (to fall down)

Ponerse (to wear something)

Casarse (te get married)

Afeitarse (to shave oneself)Bañarse (to bathe oneself)Ducharse (to take a shower)Cepillarse (to brush hair or teeth)Lavarse (to wash)Peinarse (to comb the hair)Maquillarse (to put on make up)Pintarse (to put on make up)Prepararse (to get ready)Cortarse (to cut oneself)Quitarse (to get rid of things, clothes)Secarse (to dry oneself)Vestirse (to get dressed) e>i

Despertarse (to wake up) e>ie

Levantarse (to get up)

Sentarse (to sit down) e>ie

Acostarse (to lay down) o>ue

Dormirse (to fall asleep) o>ue

Callarse (to become quiet)

Quedarse (to remain still “quedarse quieto”, to remain behind “quedarse atrás”)

Aburrirse (to get bored)

Asustarse (to get scared)

And any other verb that ends in –se is reflexive.

Idiomatic expressions with reflexive verbs

• These verbs don’t necessarily indicate an action done to or for oneself, but their construction are reflexive.

Acordarse de (to remember)o>ue

Arrepentirse de (to repent)e>ie Reírse de (to laugh at)

Atreverse a (to dare)

Quejarse de (to complain)

Burlarse de (to make fun of)

Irse a (to go away)

Olvidarse de (to forget)

Parecerse a (to look like)

Reflexive verbs in the infinitive form.(Two verbs in a row)

• When a reflexive verb is used as an infinitive, the reflexive pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive or placed before the conjugated verb.

• Ej: Voy a ducharme Debo ducharme

or or

Me voy a duchar Me debo ducharQuiero ducharme Puedo ducharme or or

Me quiero duchar Me puedo duchar

1. She should comb herself________________________________

2. We can shave ourselves______________________________

3. I’m going to take a shower________________________________

4. He needs to put on clothes.__________________________

5. They want to shave themselves.

_______________________________________

6. They would like to put on makeup.

_______________________________________

Reflexive verbs and the present progressive

• Present progressive:

• Use the conjugations of estar.

• Add –ando to the stem of –ar verbs.

• Add –iendo to the stem of –er and –ir verbs.

Ejemplos: Bailar

Yo estoy bailando Estamos bailando

Tú estás bailando Uds.

Él está bailando Ellos están bailando

Usted está bailando Ellas

• For –er ad ir verbs:• Comer

Yo estoy comiendo Nosotros estamos comiendo

Tú estás comiendo

Ella Ellas

Él está comiendo Ellos están comiendo

Usted Ustedes• Vivir

Yo estoy viviendo Nosotros estamos viviendo

Tú estás viviendo

Ella Ellas

Él está viviendo Ellos están viviendo

Usted Ustedes

Reflexives and the progressive tense.

-Use a reflexive pronoun, the conjugation of estar, add –ando for –ar verbs, and –iendo for

–er and –ir verbs.

Ejemplo: I am drying myself.

Me estoy secando.

reflexive conjugation -ando (–ar verb)

pronoun of estar

Fabiola is bathing (herself).

Fabiola se está bañando.

• To form the present participle of -ir stem changing verbs, change e:i and o:u in the stem, and then add -iendo to the stem of the verb.

E to I

• servir: sirviendopedir: pidiendodecir: diciendo

O to U

• dormir: durmiendomorir: muriendopoder: pudiendo

• Sometimes when forming the present participle it is necessary to change the spelling of a word so that it agrees with the way it is pronounced. We call this an "orthographic" change. Here are some common examples:

caer: cayendo (must use reflexive pronouns)creer: creyendohuir: huyendoir: yendoinfluir: influyendooír: oyendotraer: trayendoleer: leyendoseguir: siguiendo

Ejercicios1. You (formal) are combing your

hair.__________________________________

2. I am brushing my teeth._________________________________

3. He is dressing himself.________________________________

4. We are putting on makeup.

______________________________________

5. She is brushing her teeth.__________________________________

Impersonal se constructions• Third person reflexive pronoun se may be used

in an impersonal construction se + verb. This is another alternative to using the passive voice, when you prefer not to specify who performs the action of the verb.

Passive voice People in México speak Spanish.= Spanish is spoken in México.

La gente habla español en México.= Se habla español en México.

For sale = Se vende

No smoking. = No se fuma.

Help wanted / employees wanted.= Se buscan empleados.

Se prohíbe fumar. Smoking is prohibited.

Se prohíbe comer en la clase. Eating in class is prohibited.

Se prohíbe tirar basura. Throwing garbage away is prohibited.

Se prohíbe andar en patineta (monopatín).

Skateboarding is prohibited.

Se prohíbe correr. Running is prohibited.