VERBOS Y PRONOMBRES REFLEXIVOS

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns

Reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject of the sentence has performed an action on itself. In other words, in a reflexive sentence the subject is the same as the object.

For example:

José got up. He put his shoes on.José se levanto. Se puso sus zapatos.

Reflexive verbsIn Spanish, parts of the body are

never preceded by personal pronouns. In other words, you never talk about “my teeth”—you talk about “the teeth,” with a reflexive verb preceding it. For example: In English you would say:

I comb my hair.In Spanish, you would say:

Me peino el pelo.

When a Verb is Reflexive and When It is Not

If you are reading Spanish, you will know that a verb is reflexive by the ending –se tacked onto its infinitive form. Below is a list of some common reflexive verbs. Note the common –se ending. alejarse - enojarse - lavarse - cepillarse

To Get Emotional with a Reflexive Verb

When a person becomes emotional, the verb used will often be reflexive.

For example, if you get angry, become sad, or feel happy for someone, you will need to express yourself using a reflexive verb.

Estoy enojado … I am angry.       Estoy feliz … I am happy. Estoy triste … I am sad.

Position of reflexive pronouns

Like the direct and indirect object pronouns, reflexive pronouns come directly before the conjugated verb or attach to an infinitive, present participle or affirmative command.

For example:Vestirse (to get dressed)Me visto en la mañana.

ReflexivesThese are the forms of reflexive pronouns:

me (yo)te (tú)se (él - ella - usted)nos (nosotros)se (ellos - ellas - ustedes)

… Note…When we refer to things that are

attached to the body, for example, washing our hands, we need to add a reflexive pronoun.

me lavo las manoste lavas el pelo se lava la cara

How do you use those forms?The infinitive of the verb has -se attached to

it to show that the subject is doing something to him / herself.

Example: lavarse - Yo me lavo.Drop the -se from the reflexive verb (lavar).Conjugate the verb as usual (lavo, 1st

person).Put the appropriate reflexive pronoun in

front of the verb (me lavo).

Let’s try one.Llamarse: to call oneself

yo ____________tú ____________él _____________nosotros ____________ellos _____________

Write the reflexive pronoun and the conjugated verb.

se llama

nos llamamos

te llamasme llamo

se llaman

Brillante!yo me llamotú te llamasél se llamanosotros nos llamamosellos se llamanConjugating the infinitive verb is the

same, the only difference is that we have to add the reflexive pronoun (before the verb).

Okay, how about some more reflexive verbs?

Levantarse: to get up / stand upSentarse (e > ie): to sit downDormirse (o > ue): to fall asleepPonerse (-go): to put on an article of

clothing

Levantarse

yo me levantotú te levantasél se levantanosotros nos levantamosellos se levantan

This verb has regular endings.

Sentarse (e > ie)

yo me sientotú te sientasél se sientanosotros nos sentamosellos se sientan

This verb is stem-changing.

Dormirseyo me duermotú te duermesél se duermenosotros nos dormimosellos se duermen

This is another stem-changing verb.

Ponerseyo me pongotú te ponesél se ponenosotros nos ponemosellos se ponen

This irregular verb conjugates as usual

A morning routineTodos los días, yo ____ ____ (levantarse) a

las 7:00. Yo ______ (ir) al baño, __ _____ (lavarse) la cara, y __ _____ (afeitarse). Luego __ ____ (vestirse = e > i) y ___ ____ (tomar) una taza de cafe. Finalmente, __ _____ (lavarse) los dientes antes de salir.

Hint: not all the verbs in this paragraph are reflexive!

Let’s do another

Juana _____ ______ (despertarse = e > ie) a las 6:30, ella ____ _______ (levantarse) los dientes, ______ (ir) al baño, y ___ _____ (ducharse). Ella __ ____ (secarse), __ _____ (peinarse), y ___ ____ (pintarse) la cara.

Other things to rememberIf you use certain two-part verb

combinations, the reflexive verb can either be before the first verb or can be attached to the second verb.

Querer + levantarseQuiero levantarme orMe quiero levantar

Make sure that the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject: yo <> me, tú <> te

What about progressives?Remember that progressives are also two-

part verb combinations: Estoy comiendoEstamos escribiendo

Reflexive pronouns can go before or after the verb:

Estoy lavándome el peloEstamos lavándonos el pelo

Whew! That’s a lot to remember!

True! Note that many, many verbs can be made reflexive. All it means when a verb is reflexive is that the action remains with the subject.

When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se."

The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.