Topic 4 Reflexive Verbs
Los verbos reflexivos
| Yo | me |
| Tú | te |
| Ud./él/ella | se |
| Nosotros | nos |
| Uds./ellos/as | se |
Reflexive pronouns and verbs
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- In the Spanish language there is a kind of verbs called the reflexive verbs
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- These verbs have an object pronoun called the reflexive pronoun that indicates the same person as the subject
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- Reflexive verbs are characterized by having the reflexive pronoun “se” attached to the end of a verb in the infinitive such as:
- acostarse (to go to bed) acostarSE stem-changing verb/-ar ending
- dormirse (to fall to sleep) dormirSE stem-changing verb/-ir ending
- despertarse (to awake) despertarSE stem-changing verb/-ar ending
- levantarse (to get up from) levantarSE regular verb/-ar ending
- Reflexive verbs are characterized by having the reflexive pronoun “se” attached to the end of a verb in the infinitive such as:
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- The reflexive pronoun se must agree with the subject of the verb.
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- The reflexive pronoun precedes the conjugated verb in the simple tense.
Checklist for acostarse
verb ending ⇒
-ar (o, as, a, amos, an)
kind of verb ⇒ stem-changing from o to ue
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
kind of verb ⇒ stem-changing from o to ue
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
Me acuesto, te acuestas, se acuesta, nos acostamos, se acuestan temprano
(early).
Checklist for dormirse:
verb ending ⇒
-ir (o, es, e, imos, en)
kind of verb ⇒ stem-changing from o to ue
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
kind of verb ⇒ stem-changing from o to ue
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
Me duermo, te duermes, se duerme, nos dormimos, se duesmen tarde (late)
Checklist for despertarse:
verb ending ⇒
-ar (o, as, a, amos, an)
kind of verb ⇒ stem-changing from e to ie
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
kind of verb ⇒ stem-changing from e to ie
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
Me despierto, te despiertas, se despierta, nos despertamos, se despiertan temprano
(early).
Checklist for levantarse
verb ending ⇒
-ar (o, as, a, amos, an)
kind of verb ⇒ regular
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
kind of verb ⇒ regular
person ⇒ yo, tú, Ud./él/ella, nosotros, Uds./ellos/as
Me levanto, te levantas, se levanta, nos levantamos, se levantan temprano
(early).
- Most reflexive verbs can be used as non-reflexive.
- Yo despierto a mi hermano por las mañanas. I wake up my brother in the mornings.
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Yo me despierto temprano.
I wake up early.
- The se of the infinitive must agree with the subject of the verb when using two verbs. For example, dormirse.
- Me quiero dormir/Quiero dormirme. I want to fall to sleep.
- Remember that in Spanish the reflexive pronoun reflects the subject doing something to or for himself, herself, or itself.
- Many English verbs that describe one’s daily routine are expressed in Spanish with a reflexive construction.
Practícalo…
Using the following questions and verbs, form complete sentences using reflexive verbs to tell your best friend what you do every day.
¿Cuál es tu rutina diaria?
What is your daily routine?
¿Qué haces todas las mañanas?
What do you do every morning?
¿Qué haces todas las noches?
What do you do every night?
| acostarse to go to bed |
afeitarse to shave |
bañarse to take a bath |
cepillarse los dientes to brush one’s teeth |
| despertarse to wake up |
dormirse to fall asleep |
ducharse to take a shower |
levantarse to get up, to stand up |
| secarse to dry yourself |
ponerse to put on |
vestirse to get dressed |
peinarse to brush one’s hair |
