| Question | Answer |
| A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same.
I wash myself.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: myself
Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive. | I wash the car.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: car
Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive. |
| Here’s another example of how a verb can be either reflexive or non-reflexive.
I scratch myself.
subject: I
verb: scratch
object: myself
Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive. | I scratch the dog.
subject: I
verb: scratch
object: dog
Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive. |
| When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in “se.”
lavar
to wash (non-reflexive)
lavarse
to wash oneself (reflexive) | rascar
to scratch (non-reflexive)
rascarse
to scratch oneself (reflexive) |
| There is one reflexive verb you have been using since you began studying Spanish.
llamarse – to call oneself
¿Cómo se llama usted?
What do you call yourself?
Me llamo Juan.
I call myself Juan. | Note: A more “natural” translation would be “What is your name?” and “My name is Juan.” |
| When you learned to conjugate regular verbs, you needed to learn a set of pronouns called “subject pronouns.” | lavar
yo lavo
tú lavas
él, ella, usted lava
nosotros/as lavamos
vosotros/as laváis
ellos, ellas, ustedes lavan |
| To learn to conjugate reflexive verbs, you need to learn a different set of pronouns called “reflexive pronouns.” These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending “se” is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally. | lavarse
yo me lavo
I wash (myself)
tú te lavas
you wash (yourself) (informal)
él se lava
he washes (himself)
ella se lava
she washes (herself) |
| usted se lava
you wash (yourself) (formal)
nosotros nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves)
nosotras nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves) (feminine)
vosotros os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal) | vosotras os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal, feminine)
ustedes se lavan
you-all wash (yourselves)(formal)
ellos se lavan
they wash (themselves)
ellas se lavan
they wash (themselves) (feminine) |
| The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.
me (myself)
te (yourself)
se (himself, herself, yourself)
nos (ourselves)
os (yourselves)
se (themselves, yourselves) | The purpose is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject.
Juan se lava la cara.
Juan washes his face. (reflexive)
Juan lava su carro. (non-reflexive)
Juan washes his car.
Note: body parts, use “la cara” not “su cara.” |
| 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.
wash the dog (non-reflexive)
wash your face (reflexive)
raise the book (non-reflexive)
raise yourself (reflexive) | put the baby to bed (non-reflexive)
go to bed (reflexive)
wake up your son (non-reflexive)
wake up yourself (reflexive)
…and so on |
| In Direct Object Pronouns Part III you learned that when there are two verbs, you have two options: before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive.
I want to see it. (querer, ver)
Lo quiero ver.
Quiero verlo. | Lo debemos comprar.
Debemos comprarlo.
We should buy it.
María nos debe visitar.
María debe visitarnos.
Mary should visit us.
Juan lo necesita lavar.
Juan necesita lavarlo.
John needs to wash it. |
| The same is true regarding reflexive pronouns. When the sentence has two verbs, the pronoun can be placed directly before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive.
I want to see myself.
Me quiero ver.
Quiero verme. | John needs to wash his hair.
Juan se necesita lavar el pelo.
Juan necesita lavarse el pelo.
Maria can wash her face now.
Ahora María se puede lavar la cara.
Ahora María puede lavarse la cara.
Acabo de acostarme.
Me acabo de acostar. |
| When a verb directly follows a preposition, it remains in the infinitive form. For reflexive verbs, the ending -se changes to agree with the subject. Observe the differences in the following sentences: | Antes de dormirme, yo cuento burros.
Antes de dormirte, tú cuentas burros.
Antes de dormirse, la chica cuenta burros.
Antes de dormirnos, nosotros contamos burros.
Antes de dormirse, los chicos cuentan burros. |
| In English, many verbs can be used transitively (with a direct object) or intransitively (without a direct object).
The sun dried the clothes. (transitive)
The clothes dried in the sun. (intransitive) | In Spanish, these intransitive constructions frequently employ the reflexive form.
The sun dried the clothes. (transitive)
El sol secó la ropa.
The clothes dried in the sun. (intransitive)
La ropa se secó al sol. |
| Sometimes, the reflexive construction is used merely to emphasize who is performing the action of the sentence.
The cake? Maria ate it.
¿La torta? María se la comió. | |
| For some verbs, the meaning changes when they are used reflexively.
aburrir – to bore
aburrirse – to be bored
acordar – to agree
acordarse de – to remember
acostar – to put to bed
acostarse – to go to bed | casar – to perform a marriage ceremony
casarse con – to become married to someone
despedir – to fire
despedirse de – to say goodbye
dormir – to sleep
dormirse – to fall asleep
ir – to go
irse – to go away, to leave |
| morir – to die (abruptly, as of an accident, war, etc.)
morirse – to die (as from natural causes; also “to die” figuratively)
negar – to deny
negarse a – to refuse
parecer – to seem
parecerse a – to resemble | poner – to put
ponerse – to put on
probar – to try, to taste
probarse – to try on
quitar – to take away
quitarse – to take off |
| A few verbs are always used reflexively.
arrepentirse (e:ie) – to repent
atreverse a – to dare
darse cuenta de – to realize
jactarse de – to boast
quejarse de – to complain about
suicidarse – to commit suicide | |
