10K+ students - 4.8/5
Learn with a teacher Learning materials included Practise conversation

Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers Spanish reflexive pronouns such as me, te, se, and nos used with verbs like lavarse (to wash oneself) and levantarse (to get up), essential for daily routines.
  1. The personal pronoun is omitted when we use reflexive pronouns.
  2. The reflexive pronoun in Spanish is conjugated.
  3. If the verb is reflexive, we add the ending -se to the infinitive.
 Verbo lavarse (Verb to wash oneself)Verbo levantarse (Verb to get up)
YoMe lavo (I wash myself)Me levanto (I get up)
TúTe lavas (You wash yourself)Te levantas (You get up)
Él/Ella/UstedSe lava (He/She/You washes)Se levanta (He gets up)
Nosotros/NosotrasNos lavamos (We wash ourselves)Nos levantamos (We get up)
Vosotros/VosotrasOs laváis (You wash yourselves)Os levantáis (You get up)
Ellos/Ellas/UstedesSe lavan (They wash themselves)Se levantan (They get up)

Exceptions!

  1. The pronoun "se" is the same for the third person singular and plural.

Exercise 1: Verbos y pronombres reflexivos

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

nos levantamos, os laváis, nos duchamos, te vistes, me peino, se acuestan, te levantas, me lavo

1.
Yo ... las manos.
(I wash my hands.)
2.
Vosotros ... la cara.
(You wash your face.)
3.
Ellos ... a las diez de la noche.
(They go to bed at ten o'clock at night.)
4.
Nosotros ... pronto.
(We get up early.)
5.
Yo ... el pelo todas las mañanas.
(I comb my hair every morning.)
6.
Tú ... a las seis.
(You get up at six.)
7.
Nosotros ... después de hacer ejercicio.
(We shower after exercising.)
8.
Tú ... con ropa cómoda.
(You dress yourself in comfortable clothes.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Yo ___ a las siete de la mañana todos los días.

(I ___ at seven in the morning every day.)

2. Ella ___ antes de desayunar.

(She ___ before having breakfast.)

3. Nosotros ___ las manos antes de cenar.

(We ___ our hands before dinner.)

4. Tú ___ el pelo todos los días.

(You ___ your hair every day.)

5. Ellos ___ temprano para dormir bien.

(They ___ early to sleep well.)

6. Yo siempre ___ rápido para llegar a tiempo al trabajo.

(I always ___ quickly to arrive on time at work.)

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns in Spanish

This lesson focuses on reflexive verbs and pronouns, an essential part of expressing actions that the subject performs on themselves. You will learn how to recognize reflexive verbs, conjugate them properly, and use reflexive pronouns in sentences.

What Are Reflexive Verbs?

Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject both performs and receives the action. In Spanish, these verbs always appear with a reflexive pronoun that corresponds to the subject.

Reflexive Pronouns

The reflexive pronouns used with verbs are: me, te, se, nos, os, se. These pronouns change according to the subject of the verb and always come before the conjugated verb.

Conjugation Pattern

To form a reflexive verb in the infinitive, add -se to the end of the verb (e.g., lavarse - to wash oneself). When conjugated, the -se is replaced by the appropriate reflexive pronoun and the verb ending is changed to match the subject.

Examples of Reflexive Verbs

  • lavarse (to wash oneself): Yo me lavo, Tú te lavas, Él/Ella se lava
  • levantarse (to get up): Yo me levanto, Tú te levantas, Nosotros nos levantamos

Key Points to Remember

  • Reflexive pronouns are essential for reflexive verbs and must agree with the subject.
  • The pronoun "se" is used for third person singular and plural.
  • When using reflexive pronouns with infinitive verbs, they appear attached to the end (lavarse).

Differences Between English and Spanish Reflexive Verbs

In English, reflexive actions use pronouns like myself, yourself, himself, often added explicitly, but many daily activities that are reflexive in Spanish are expressed without reflexive pronouns in English. For example, "I wash myself" is simply "I wash" in English, but in Spanish, you must say "Yo me lavo." Understanding when Spanish uses reflexive verbs where English does not is important for mastering verb use.

Useful Spanish Phrases with Reflexive Verbs

  • Yo me levanto a las siete de la mañana todos los días. (I get up at seven every day.)
  • Ella se ducha antes de desayunar. (She showers before having breakfast.)
  • Nosotros nos lavamos las manos antes de cenar. (We wash our hands before dinner.)
  • Tú te peinas el pelo todos los días. (You comb your hair every day.)
  • Ellos se acuestan temprano para dormir bien. (They go to bed early to sleep well.)

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage