A2 · Elementary

Reflexive verbs

Verbs with me/te/se/nos/os/se like levantarse and ducharse, and changes of meaning.

What is a reflexive verb?

With a reflexive verb, the subject performs the action on itself: I wash myself. In the dictionary the infinitive ends in -se: levantarse (to get up), ducharse (to shower). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) always agrees with the subject.

Examples

Me levanto a las siete.I get up at seven.
Ella se ducha por la mañana.She showers in the morning.

Conjugation and position

The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb. With an infinitive, gerund or affirmative command it may (or must) attach to the end — just like the object pronouns.

levantarse
yome levanto
túte levantas
él/ella/ustedse levanta
nosotrosnos levantamos
vosotrosos levantáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesse levantan

Examples

Voy a ducharme. / Me voy a duchar.I'm going to shower.
Levántate.Get up.
No te levantes tarde.Don't get up late.

Reciprocal use

In the plural (nos, os, se), the same pronoun can also mean 'each other', when the action is mutual.

Examples

Nos queremos mucho.We love each other a lot.
Se escriben cada semana.They write to each other every week.

Change of meaning

Some verbs get a different meaning or nuance with the reflexive pronoun: ir (to go) vs irse (to leave, go away), dormir (to sleep) vs dormirse (to fall asleep).

Examples

Voy al colegio.I go to school.
Me voy ya, es tarde.I'm leaving now, it's late.
Duermo ocho horas.I sleep eight hours.
Me duermo enseguida.I fall asleep right away.

💡 Tips

💡
The reflexive pronoun always agrees with the subject: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
💡
With an infinitive/gerund/affirmative command, attach the pronoun to the end; otherwise it goes before the verb.
💡
Some verbs change meaning with -se: ir/irse, dormir/dormirse — learn them as pairs.

🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)

Related grammar

The regular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The past tense for completed events: regular -ar, -er and -ir forms.
The irregular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The most common verbs are irregular in the indefinido: ser/ir, tener, hacer, decir and more.
The imperfect past (pretérito imperfecto)
The past tense for habits, descriptions and background — almost always regular.
Indefinido versus imperfecto
Two past tenses, one choice: what happened (indefinido) versus what the situation was (imperfecto)?

← Indirect object pronounsComparatives and superlatives →

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