Reflexive Verbs: Insider Tips.
Updated: Aug 10
If you've been studying Spanish for a while, you've probably noticed verbs like levantarse, ducharse, or llamarse. That little "-se" at the end might seem odd at first, but reflexive verbs are actually one of the most common parts of everyday Spanish. Once you understand how they work, you'll start hearing them everywhere.
Think about your morning routine. You wake up, get out of bed, take a shower, get dressed, brush your hair, and eventually leave the house. In Spanish, almost every one of those actions uses a reflexive verb because these are actions you do to yourself.
For example:
Me despierto a las seis de la mañana. (I wake up at six in the morning.)
Me levanto cinco minutos después. (I get up five minutes later.)
Me ducho antes de desayunar. (I take a shower before breakfast.)
Me visto rápidamente porque siempre voy con prisa. (I get dressed quickly because I'm always in a hurry.)
Notice the little word “me” before each verb. That's the reflexive pronoun, and it tells us that the person doing the action is also receiving it. In other words, you're waking yourself up, dressing yourself, or showering yourself.
The reflexive pronoun changes depending on who you're talking about. If you're talking about yourself, you'll hear “me”.
Me llamo Ana. (My name is Ana.)
If you're talking to a friend, you'll use “te”.
¿Te levantas temprano los fines de semana? (Do you get up early on weekends?)
¿Siempre te acuerdas de poner llave antes de salir? (Do you always remember to lock before leaving?)
When talking about someone else, you'll usually hear”se”.
Carlos se acuesta muy tarde. (Carlos goes to bed very late.)
Mi hermana se maquilla antes de salir. (My sister puts on makeup before going out.)
And if you're talking about a group that includes you, you'll use “nos”.
Nos relajamos viendo una película los viernes por la noche. (We relax by watching a movie on Friday nights.)
Nos sentamos cerca de la ventana. (We sit near the window.)
A little “se” completely changes who receives the action.
María peina a su hija. (María combs her daughter's hair.)
María se peina. (María combs her own hair.)
In the first sentence, María is combing someone else's hair. In the second, she's combing her own.
Some verbs even change their meaning when they become reflexive. A great example is dormir.
Duermo ocho horas todas las noches. (I sleep eight hours every night.)
Me duermo viendo películas. (I fall asleep while watching movies.)
The first sentence simply describes sleeping. The second describes the moment you fall asleep.
Another common example is ir and irse.
Voy al supermercado. (I go to the supermarket.)
Me voy a casa. (I'm leaving to go home.)
Both verbs are related to going somewhere, but irse emphasizes leaving a place.
Hope these examples help you with reflexives. The more Spanish you learn, the more you’ll notice they're part of everyday conversations. Every time someone talks about their morning routine, getting ready for work, relaxing after a long day, or introducing themselves, they're probably using reflexive verbs. Once you start recognizing them, you'll realize you've been hearing them all along.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Remember!!
Reflexive verbs are everywhere in Spanish. They appear in conversations about:
Daily routines
Personal care
Feelings and emotions
Changes of state
Movement
Social interactions
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