What makes a verb reflexive
With a reflexive verb the action comes back to the subject: you do something to yourself. Spanish marks this with a reflexive pronoun placed before the verb. English has myself, yourself, himself too, but uses them far less often. Most Spanish reflexives come out in English as plain verbs or as get + something: levantarse is to get up, vestirse is to get dressed. So the pronoun has no English signal to remind you of it. Learn it as part of the verb.
In the dictionary you spot a reflexive verb by the -se stuck on the infinitive: levantarse (to get up), ducharse (to take a shower), vestirse (to get dressed).
First examples
Me levanto temprano.
I get up early.
¿Te duchas por la mañana?
Do you take a shower in the morning?
Se viste rápido.
He / she gets dressed quickly.
Pronouns and conjugation
Each person has its own fixed pronoun. It goes directly before the conjugated verb, never after it the way English puts myself at the end. You conjugate the verb exactly as you always would. Apart from the third person, the forms are the same words as the object pronouns; there se covers himself, herself, themselves and formal yourself, singular and plural.
levantarse (to get up)
| Person | Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | me levanto |
| tú | te | te levantas |
| él / ella / usted | se | se levanta |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos | nos levantamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | os | os levantáis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se | se levantan |
Present tense, regular
The pronoun matches the person
Los sábados nos levantamos tarde.
On Saturdays we get up late.
¿Os laváis las manos?
Are you washing your hands?
Los niños se duchan solos.
The children take a shower on their own.
The most important reflexive verbs
Most reflexive verbs describe getting ready and daily routine. Several are plain verbs in English, for example levantarse, despertarse, llamarse and quedarse.
despertarse
to wake up
levantarse
to get up
ducharse
to take a shower
lavarse
to wash (oneself)
vestirse
to get dressed
acostarse
to go to bed
dormirse
to fall asleep
sentarse
to sit down
llamarse
to be called
quedarse
to stay
irse
to leave
A whole day
Me despierto y me levanto enseguida.
I wake up and get up right away.
Me lavo los dientes tres veces al día.
I brush my teeth three times a day.
¿Cómo te llamas?
What's your name?
Me voy a casa.
I'm going home.
With or without the pronoun
Not reflexive (acting on someone else)
Without -se the action lands on a different object. English usually keeps the same verb here.
Lavo el coche.
I wash the car.
Despierto a mi hijo.
I wake up my son.
Reflexive (acting on yourself)
With -se and a pronoun the action comes back to the subject, and English often switches to a completely different wording.
Me lavo.
I wash up.
Me despierto.
I wake up.
With an infinitive
After a verb like querer or after ir a, the reflexive pronoun goes in front of the conjugated verb or attaches to the infinitive, and it always matches the subject.
Me quiero duchar.
I want to take a shower.
Vamos a acostarnos.
We're going to bed now.
