Verbs and reflexive pronouns

What are reflexive verbs in Spanish?

• Reflexive verbs talk about actions you do to yourself.
• Typical daily routine verbs are reflexive: levantarse (to get up), lavarse (to wash yourself), ducharse (to shower), vestirse (to get dressed).
• In the infinitive you always see -se at the end: lavar = to wash, lavarse = to wash yourself.

Step 1 – Recognise the two parts

Every reflexive form has two parts:

• Reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se)
• Normal verb form (lavo, lavas, lava, …)

Example with lavarse (to wash oneself):

Step 2 – How to form the present tense

1. Take the infinitive: lavarse.
2. Remove the -se: you get lavar.
3. Conjugate the verb normally: lavo, lavas, lava, lavamos…
4. Add the correct reflexive pronoun in front: me, te, se, nos, os, se.

Result: me lavo, te lavas, se lava, nos lavamos, os laváis, se lavan.

Step 3 – Word order in simple sentences

For A1, the most important pattern is:

Subject (often omitted) + reflexive pronoun + verb + rest of the sentence

• (Yo) me levanto a las siete.
• (Tú) te duchas por la mañana.
• (Ellos) se acuestan tarde.

In Spanish you usually omit the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él…).

• Correct: Me levanto a las siete.
• Also possible but less necessary: Yo me levanto a las siete.

Reflexive vs non‑reflexive: what changes?

Many verbs exist in two versions:

• Non‑reflexive: you do the action to someone or something else.
• Reflexive: you do the action to yourself.

For your own routine, you almost always need the reflexive version:

• Me levanto temprano. = I get up early.
• Nos duchamos después del trabajo. = We shower (ourselves) after work.

Key forms to memorise (A1 toolbox)

Learn these as “ready‑made blocks” you can reuse:

Notice: “se” is used for both singular and plural 3rd person (él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes).

Typical word order doubts (and answers)

• Where does the reflexive pronoun go?
  In normal present tense sentences, it goes before the verb.
  – Correct: Me levanto a las siete.
  – Levanto me a las siete. (wrong)
• Do I need another word for “myself”?
  No. The pronoun me/te/se… already means “myself/yourself/himself…”.
  – Correct: Me ducho por la mañana.
  – Me ducho yo mismo (too much for A1, usually unnecessary).
• Can I say the subject pronoun too?
  Yes, for emphasis or clarity, but it is not required.
  – Neutral: Me levanto a las siete.
  – Emphasis: Yo me levanto a las siete (for contrast).

Reflexive pronouns as objects in English

In English you often say:

• I wash my hands.
• I brush my teeth.

Spanish prefers:

• Me lavo las manos. (literally: I wash myself the hands.)
• Me cepillo los dientes. (I brush myself the teeth.)

So for body parts and clothes:

• Use a reflexive verb + definite article (el/la/los/las).

Self‑check: can you do this?

1. Look at the infinitive. Can you say if it is reflexive? (-se at the end?)
2. Can you remove -se and conjugate the verb correctly?
3. Can you choose the right pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se?
4. Can you put the pronoun in the correct place: before the verb?
5. Can you explain the difference between lavo and me lavo in your own words?

If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you are ready to use reflexive verbs in conversation.

Mini practice (no writing, just think or say it)

1. How do you say “I get up at seven” in Spanish?
   → Think: infinitive levantarse → levanto + pronoun me → Me levanto a las siete.
2. How do you say “We wash our hands before dinner”?
   → Verb lavarse → lavamos + pronoun nos → Nos lavamos las manos antes de cenar.
3. How do you say “They go to bed early”? (verb acostarse)
   → acuestan + pronoun se → Se acuestan temprano.

If this feels automatic, you are using reflexive verbs correctly at A1 level.