Reflexive Verbs in Spanish

Learn reflexive verbs - essential for talking about daily routines and actions you do to yourself!

What Are Reflexive Verbs?

Reflexive verbs describe actions you do to yourself:

English: I wash myself Spanish: Me lavo

Why reflexive? The subject (I) does the action to itself (myself)!

Key indicator: Reflexive verbs end in -SE in the infinitive:

• lavarse (to wash oneself)
• ducharse (to shower)
• vestirse (to dress oneself)

Reflexive Pronouns

The Complete List

Reflexive pronouns go with the subject:

How Reflexive Verbs Work

Pattern: Pronoun + Verb

Structure: Reflexive pronoun + conjugated verb

Lavarse (to wash oneself):

• Me lavo (I wash myself)
• Te lavas (You wash yourself)
• Se lava (He/She washes himself/herself)
• Nos lavamos (We wash ourselves)
• Se lavan (They wash themselves)

Important: The pronoun comes BEFORE the conjugated verb!

Common Daily Routine Reflexive Verbs

Morning Routine

DESPERTARSE (to wake up)

• Me despierto a las 7 (I wake up at 7)
• ¿A qué hora te despiertas? (What time do you wake up?)

LEVANTARSE (to get up)

• Me levanto temprano (I get up early)
• Se levanta tarde (He/She gets up late)

DUCHARSE (to shower)

• Me ducho por la mañana (I shower in the morning)
• Se ducha por la noche (He/She showers at night)

BAÑARSE (to bathe)

• Me baño en la noche (I bathe at night)
• Los niños se bañan (The children bathe)

LAVARSE (to wash oneself)

• Me lavo las manos (I wash my hands)
• Se lava la cara (He/She washes his/her face)

CEPILLARSE (to brush)

• Me cepillo los dientes (I brush my teeth)
• Te cepillas el pelo (You brush your hair)

PEINARSE (to comb one's hair)

• Me peino el pelo (I comb my hair)
• Se peina (He/She combs his/her hair)

AFEITARSE (to shave)

• Me afeito todos los días (I shave every day)
• Se afeita la barba (He shaves his beard)

MAQUILLARSE (to put on makeup)

• Me maquillo (I put on makeup)
• Se maquilla (She puts on makeup)

VESTIRSE (to get dressed)

• Me visto rápido (I get dressed quickly)
• Se viste elegante (He/She dresses elegantly)

Throughout the Day

LLAMARSE (to be called/named)

• Me llamo Juan (My name is Juan)
• ¿Cómo te llamas? (What's your name?)
• Se llama María (Her name is María)

SENTARSE (to sit down)

• Me siento aquí (I sit here)
• Siéntate (Sit down - command)

QUEDARSE (to stay/remain)

• Me quedo en casa (I stay home)
• Se queda aquí (He/She stays here)

IRSE (to leave/go away)

• Me voy (I'm leaving)
• Te vas temprano (You're leaving early)
• Se va a casa (He/She is going home)

SENTIRSE (to feel)

• Me siento bien (I feel good)
• ¿Cómo te sientes? (How do you feel?)
• Se siente mal (He/She feels bad)

Evening Routine

QUITARSE (to take off)

• Me quito los zapatos (I take off my shoes)
• Se quita la chaqueta (He/She takes off the jacket)

ACOSTARSE (to go to bed)

• Me acuesto a las 11 (I go to bed at 11)
• ¿A qué hora te acuestas? (What time do you go to bed?)

DORMIRSE (to fall asleep)

• Me duermo rápido (I fall asleep quickly)
• Se duerme tarde (He/She falls asleep late)

Position of Reflexive Pronouns

Rule 1: BEFORE Conjugated Verbs

Always before the conjugated verb:

• Me lavo (I wash myself)
• Te duchas (You shower)
• Se viste (He/She gets dressed)
• No me levanto tarde (I don't get up late)

Rule 2: Attached to Infinitives

Two options with infinitives:

Option 1: Attach to infinitive

• Voy a ducharme (I'm going to shower)
• Quiero levantarme temprano (I want to get up early)
• Necesito vestirme (I need to get dressed)

Option 2: Before conjugated verb

• Me voy a duchar (I'm going to shower)
• Me quiero levantar temprano (I want to get up early)
• Me necesito vestir (I need to get dressed)

Both are correct! Option 1 is more common.

Rule 3: Attached to Affirmative Commands

Affirmative commands: Attach to the end

• ¡Levántate! (Get up!)
• ¡Siéntase! (Sit down! - formal)
• ¡Vístete rápido! (Get dressed quickly!)

Negative commands: Place before

• ¡No te levantes! (Don't get up!)
• ¡No se vaya! (Don't leave! - formal)

Reflexive vs. Non-Reflexive

Many Verbs Can Be Both!

Without reflexive = you do it to someone/something else:

• Lavo el coche (I wash the car)
• Despierto a mi hijo (I wake up my son)
• Visto al bebé (I dress the baby)

With reflexive = you do it to yourself:

• Me lavo (I wash myself)
• Me despierto (I wake up)
• Me visto (I get dressed)

Examples Side by Side

Stem-Changing Reflexive Verbs

Common Stem Changes

Some reflexive verbs have stem changes:

E → IE:

• despertarse → me despierto (I wake up)
• sentarse → me siento (I sit down)
• sentirse → me siento (I feel)

O → UE:

• acostarse → me acuesto (I go to bed)
• dormirse → me duermo (I fall asleep)

E → I:

• vestirse → me visto (I get dressed)

Reflexive Verbs with Body Parts

Special Pattern: Reflexive + Article + Body Part

Pattern: Me + verb + el/la/los/las + body part

Examples:

• Me lavo las manos (I wash my hands)
• Me cepillo los dientes (I brush my teeth)
• Me peino el pelo (I comb my hair)
• Se lava la cara (He/She washes his/her face)
• Te lavas los pies (You wash your feet)

Note: Use the article (el/la/los/las), not possessives (mi/tu)!

Wrong: ❌ Me lavo mis manos Right: ✅ Me lavo las manos

Common Reflexive Expressions

Emotions and States

PREOCUPARSE (to worry)

• Me preocupo mucho (I worry a lot)
• No te preocupes (Don't worry)

ENOJARSE (to get angry)

• Me enojo fácilmente (I get angry easily)
• Se enoja con ella (He/She gets angry with her)

ABURRIRSE (to get bored)

• Me aburro en clase (I get bored in class)
• Se aburre (He/She gets bored)

DIVERTIRSE (to have fun)

• Me divierto mucho (I have a lot of fun)
• Nos divertimos en la fiesta (We have fun at the party)

Movement and Location

MOVERSE (to move)

• Me muevo (I move)
• No te muevas (Don't move)

PARARSE (to stand up)

• Me paro (I stand up)
• Se para (He/She stands up)

CAERSE (to fall down)

• Me caigo (I fall)
• Se cayó (He/She fell)

Describing Your Routine

Sample Daily Routine

"Me despierto a las 7 de la mañana. Me levanto a las 7:15 y me ducho. Después, me visto y me cepillo los dientes. Desayuno a las 8. Me voy de casa a las 8:30. Trabajo todo el día. Regreso a casa a las 6 y me quito los zapatos. Ceno a las 8. Por la noche, me relajo viendo televisión. Me acuesto a las 11 y me duermo rápido."

Translation: "I wake up at 7 AM. I get up at 7:15 and shower. After, I get dressed and brush my teeth. I have breakfast at 8. I leave home at 8:30. I work all day. I return home at 6 and take off my shoes. I have dinner at 8. At night, I relax watching TV. I go to bed at 11 and fall asleep quickly."

Practice Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Morning Routine

A: ¿A qué hora te despiertas? B: Me despierto a las 6:30. ¿Y tú? A: Yo me despierto a las 7. ¿Te duchas por la mañana? B: Sí, me ducho todos los días. ¿Y tú te bañas? A: No, yo me ducho también. Me baño los fines de semana. B: ¿A qué hora te vas de casa? A: Me voy a las 8.

Translation: A: What time do you wake up? B: I wake up at 6:30. And you? A: I wake up at 7. Do you shower in the morning? B: Yes, I shower every day. And do you bathe? A: No, I shower too. I bathe on weekends. B: What time do you leave home? A: I leave at 8.

Dialogue 2: Getting Ready

Mamá: ¡Levántate! Es tarde. Hijo: Ya me levanto, mamá. Mamá: Vístete rápido. No tienes mucho tiempo. Hijo: Primero me ducho. Mamá: Está bien, pero date prisa. Y no te olvides de cepillarte los dientes. Hijo: No me olvido, mamá.

Translation: Mom: Get up! It's late. Son: I'm getting up, mom. Mom: Get dressed quickly. You don't have much time. Son: First I'll shower. Mom: Okay, but hurry up. And don't forget to brush your teeth. Son: I won't forget, mom.

Dialogue 3: Evening Plans

A: ¿Te quedas en casa esta noche? B: No, me voy a salir con amigos. A: ¿A qué hora te vas? B: Me voy a las 8. Primero me ducho y me cambio de ropa. A: ¿A qué hora regresas? B: No sé. Pero no me acuesto tarde. Mañana trabajo. A: Diviértete. B: Gracias.

Translation: A: Are you staying home tonight? B: No, I'm going out with friends. A: What time are you leaving? B: I'm leaving at 8. First I'll shower and change clothes. A: What time are you returning? B: I don't know. But I won't go to bed late. I work tomorrow. A: Have fun. B: Thanks.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Conjugate Reflexive Verbs

Conjugate in the YO form:

1. despertarse → ___ despierto
2. ducharse → ___ ducho
3. vestirse → ___ visto
4. acostarse → ___ acuesto
5. llamarse → ___ llamo

Answers:

1. Me despierto
2. Me ducho
3. Me visto
4. Me acuesto
5. Me llamo

Exercise 2: Choose Reflexive or Non-Reflexive

1. ___ las manos (I wash my hands)
2. ___ el coche (I wash the car)
3. ___ a las 7 (I wake up at 7)
4. ___ a mi hijo a las 7 (I wake up my son at 7)

Answers:

1. Me lavo las manos (reflexive)
2. Lavo el coche (non-reflexive)
3. Me despierto a las 7 (reflexive)
4. Despierto a mi hijo (non-reflexive)

Exercise 3: Position of Pronouns

Rewrite with reflexive pronoun:

1. Voy a duchar (I'm going to shower)
2. Quiero acostar (I want to go to bed)
3. Necesito vestir (I need to get dressed)

Answers (both options correct):

1. Voy a ducharme / Me voy a duchar
2. Quiero acostarme / Me quiero acostar
3. Necesito vestirme / Me necesito vestir

Exercise 4: Translate to Spanish

1. I wake up at 7
2. What's your name?
3. I'm going to shower
4. I brush my teeth
5. She goes to bed at 11

Answers:

1. Me despierto a las 7
2. ¿Cómo te llamas?
3. Me voy a duchar / Voy a ducharme
4. Me cepillo los dientes
5. Se acuesta a las 11 / Ella se acuesta a las 11

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Forgetting the Reflexive Pronoun

Wrong: ❌ Despierto a las 7 Right: ✅ Me despierto a las 7 (I wake up at 7)

Always include the reflexive pronoun!

❌ Mistake 2: Using Possessives with Body Parts

Wrong: ❌ Me lavo mis manos Right: ✅ Me lavo las manos (I wash my hands)

Use articles (el/la/los/las), not possessives!

❌ Mistake 3: Wrong Pronoun Position

Wrong: ❌ Despierto me Right: ✅ Me despierto (I wake up)

Pronoun goes BEFORE the conjugated verb!

❌ Mistake 4: Mixing Up SE

Wrong: ❌ Me llama Juan (trying to say "His name is Juan") Right: ✅ Se llama Juan (His name is Juan)

Use the correct pronoun for each subject!

Complete Conjugation Chart

LEVANTARSE (to get up)

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Basic Reflexive Verbs

• Learn 10 common reflexive verbs
• Master reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos)
• Practice position before verbs

Week 2: Daily Routine

• Learn all morning routine verbs
• Learn evening routine verbs
• Describe your complete routine

Week 3: Stem-Changing Forms

• Master despertarse, acostarse, vestirse
• Practice with body parts
• Learn reflexive vs. non-reflexive

Week 4: Natural Usage

• Use in conversations
• Practice with infinitives
• Make it automatic

Pro Tip: Narrate your daily routine out loud in Spanish every day: "Me despierto, me levanto, me ducho..." This makes reflexive verbs automatic!

Practice: Act out reflexive verbs while saying them: physically pretend to wash hands while saying "Me lavo las manos." Physical association helps memory!

Memory Trick:

• ME = Myself (both start with M!)
• SE = himself/herself/themselves (S for singular/plural third person)
• Reflexive = you do it back to yourself (re-FLEX back!)

Remember: Reflexive verbs are essential for talking about daily routines and personal care. They're used constantly in Spanish, so mastering them will make you sound much more natural!