A2
Reflexive verbs
How Spanish reflexive verbs work, where the pronoun goes, and the verbs whose meaning changes when they take one.
A reflexive verb carries a pronoun matching its subject. The dictionary form ends in -se.
| me levanto | I get up |
| te levantas | |
| se levanta | |
| nos levantamos | |
| os levantáis | |
| se levantan |
Me levanto a las siete.
myself I-raise at the seven
I get up at seven.
Spanish uses them where English does not
Levantarse, acostarse, despertarse, vestirse, ducharse, llamarse, sentarse. English has get up, go to bed, wake up, get dressed, shower, be called, sit down — no reflexive anywhere.
¿Cómo te llamas?
how yourself you-call
What’s your name?
The pronoun follows the same placement rules
Before the conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive — see object pronouns.
Voy a ducharme. / Me voy a duchar.
I-go to to-shower-myself / myself I-go to shower
I’m going to have a shower.
Some verbs change meaning entirely
| ir | to go |
| irse | to leave |
| dormir | to sleep |
| dormirse | to fall asleep |
| llevar | to carry |
| llevarse | to take away |
| poner | to put |
| ponerse | to put on, to become |
Me voy.
myself I-go
I’m off.
Levanto a las siete.
Me levanto a las siete.
Without the pronoun, levantar means to lift something else — levanto la caja. The reflexive is what turns it into getting yourself up, and dropping it is the commonest error on this page’s whole list of verbs.
In the plural it can mean each other
Se conocieron en Madrid.
each-other they-met in Madrid
They met in Madrid.
And the body takes the article
Me lavo las manos.
myself I-wash the hands
I wash my hands.
The reflexive already says whose — see possessives.