Reflexive Verbs

Preface

What is a Reflexive Verb?

A verb is reflexive when the subject is doing the action on himself (the subject and the object are the same), i.e. ‘I wash myself’, ‘you wash yourself’, etc. In the sentence ‘You wash the dishes’ the verb ‘wash’ is NOT reflexive since you don’t wash yourself (but rather wash something else.)

All the rules regarding object pronouns apply here as well. The necessary grammar for the construction of such forms has already been learned (Objects pronouns and the present simple conjugations.)


 

How to Recognize a Reflexive Verb in Spanish

Reflexive verbs in Spanish take this form: __________SE (i.e. Vestirse, to get dressed, Ducharse, to take a shower). The suffix ‘-SE’ indicates that the verb is reflexive. When we conjugate the reflexive verb, we first have to know how to conjugate the non-reflexive verb. The non-reflexive verb can be an AR/ER/IR verb, regular or irregular. In our example, ‘Casar’ (to marry) is an AR regular verb.


 

Reflexive Verb Conjugation

The ‘Direction’ of the Verb

By ‘direction’ of the verb we mean on whom the action is done. I can dress myself as I can dress others. The reflexive verbs ending in ‘-se’ (i.e. vestirse, ducharse, etc.’) relate to actions that one does on oneself, while the non-reflexive verbs (i.e. vestir, duchar, etc.’) relate to actions that one does to others.

The non-reflexive verb

The reflexive verb

Vestir (to dress somebody else)

Vestirse (to get dressed oneself)

Lavar (to wash something)

Lavarse (to wash oneself)

Sentar (to seat somebody)

Sentarse (to sit oneself)

 

 


 

How to Use Reflexive Verbs

When using reflexive verbs in English we use words ‘oneself’, ‘himself’, etc.’ to indicated that the action is being done on the subject of the sentence. Unlike English, Spanish uses reflexive objects that are quite similar to the Indirect Objects.
The following table illustrates the Spanish reflexive pronouns and their English equivalent.

Spanish

English

me

myself

te

yourself

se

himself, herself, yourself

nos

ourselves

os

Not used in Latin America

se

themselves, yourselves

 

1. They wash themselves (Ellos) se lavan
2. I dress myself (Yo) me visto
3. He shaves himself (Él) se afeita


 

Steps of Conjugating Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs are conjugated in three steps:
1. Conjugate the non-reflexive verb in the appropriate tense, according to the subject pronoun.
2. Select the proper reflexive pronoun.
3. Attach the reflexive pronoun before or after the conjugated verb (according to the tense in which the verb is conjugated.)

The verb conjugated in the table below is ‘Secarse’ to dry oneself

 

Pronoun

Reflexive Pronoun

Conjugated Verb

English Translation

Yo

me

seco

I dry myself

te

secas

You dry yourself

Él/Ella/Ud.

se

seca

He/she/it dries himself/herself/itself

Nosotros/as

nos

secamos

We dry ourselves

Vosotros/as

os

secáis

Not used in Latin America

Ellos/Ellas/Uds.

se

secan

They dry themselves

 


 

Additional Verbs

 

Acostumbrarse

To become accustomed

Afeitarse

To shave (oneself)

Alegrarse

To be happy

Arrepentirse

To regret

Asustarse

To be alarmed

Calentarse

To warm-up

Cansarse

To be weary/

To get tired

Conducirse

To behave

Curarse

To be cured

Despertarse

To wake-up

Desvestirse

To undress

Divorciarse

To get divorced

Ducharse

To take a shower

 


 
 

 

Enfermarse

To become ill

Enfriarse

To become cold

Enojarse

To get annoyed

Entristecerse

To become sad

Esconderse

To hide (oneself)

Irse

To leave

Lavarse

To wash (oneself)

Levantarse

To get-up

Limpiarse

To clean (oneself)

Llamarse

To call (oneself)*

 

* Spanish uses the verb ‘Llamarse’ (to call oneself) in a different way than English. In Spanish we say ‘Se llama Juan’, literally meaning: he calls himself Juan, but the actual meaning of the sentence is: ‘His name is Juan.’


 

Llenarse

To become full

Maquillarse

To put on make-up

Mojarse

To become wet

Peinarse

To comb

Prepararse

To prepare (oneself)

Quedarse

To stay

Quejarse

To complain

Secarse

To dry (oneself)

Sentarse

To sit-down

Vestirse

To dress (oneself)


 
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