A2 · Verbs
Verbos reflexivos
Reflexive verbs are usually taught as things you do to yourself, which covers washing and getting dressed and then stops explaining anything. The pronoun actually does four different jobs, and most of the verbs learners struggle with belong to the fourth one, where it simply changes what the verb means.
The pronouns
The pronoun always matches the subject, and it moves with the person. It goes before the conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive or gerund.
| Person | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | me llamo Antony |
| tú | te | te llamas |
| él / ella / usted | se | se llama Rocky |
| nosotros | nos | nos despedimos |
| ellos / ustedes | se | se despiden |
Job one: the action comes back to you
The classic case. Compare the same verb with and without the pronoun and the difference is visible.
- Lavo el plato.I wash the plate.
- Me lavo las manos.I wash my hands.
- Despierto a mi hermano.I wake my brother up.
- Me despierto a las seis.I wake up at six.
Job two: each other
With a plural subject the pronoun can mean one another rather than oneself. Context decides, and Spanish rarely bothers to disambiguate.
- Nos vemos el lunes.See you on Monday.
- Se escriben todas las semanas.They write to each other every week.
Job three: possession you do not have to state
Spanish does not say my hands when the reflexive pronoun already tells you whose they are. Me lavo las manos, not me lavo mis manos. This is why body parts and clothes take the article, not the possessive.
- Me duele la cabeza.My head hurts.
- Se puso la chaqueta.He put his jacket on.
Job four: a different verb
This is the group worth memorising, because the pronoun is not reflexive in any real sense. It changes the meaning, and no rule predicts how.
| Without | With |
|---|---|
| ir — to go | irse — to leave |
| poner — to put | ponerse — to become, to put on |
| dar — to give | darse cuenta — to realise |
| llevar — to carry | llevarse — to take away, to get along |
| acordar — to agree | acordarse — to remember |
| quedar — to arrange, to be left | quedarse — to stay |
| dormir — to sleep | dormirse — to fall asleep |
| parecer — to seem | parecerse — to look alike |
Where the pronoun goes
- Me voy a duchar.I am going to shower.
- Voy a ducharme.I am going to shower. · both correct
- Estoy duchándome.I am showering.
- Siéntate.Sit down. · attached to a command
Examples
- Pongo el libro en la mesa.I put the book on the table.
- El cielo se pone oscuro.The sky gets dark.
- Doy un libro a mi hermano.I give a book to my brother.
- Me doy cuenta de que es tarde.I realise that it is late.
Mistakes to avoid
Me lavo mis manos.
Me lavo las manos.
The pronoun already says whose hands they are.
Yo se llamo Antony.
Yo me llamo Antony.
The pronoun matches the subject.
Me dormí en la clase toda la hora.
Dormí en la clase toda la hora.
Dormirse is the moment of falling asleep; dormir is the sleeping itself.
Watch out
The pronoun changes with the person: me doy cuenta, te das cuenta, se da cuenta.
Try it
Yo ___ llamo Marta.
___ lavo las manos antes de comer.
Anoche ___ a las once.
Al salir, ___ di cuenta de que era tarde.
Ya es tarde, ___.