Spanish reflexive verbs

Spanish reflexive verbs are an essential part of Spanish and help to express concrete actions. Therefore, understanding their use is fundamental to be able to express everyday situations in a correct and natural way; and to continue your adventure of learning Spanish in Spain. Do you dare to try?

In this don Quijote article you will learn what they are, when they are used and how to conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish. In addition, you will find some practical examples so that you can integrate them into your Spanish conversations.

You can also read this article in other languages by clicking on Spanish, Italian or Dutch.

What are Spanish reflexive verbs?

Reflexive verbs in Spanish are common and simpler than they seem. A reflexive verb is when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same, that is, the action is on the person who performs it.

The subject is the protagonist of the sentence, whether it is a person, animal or thing. The object or complement is the person, place, animal or thing that receives the action performed by the subject.

Some reflexive verbs in Spanish are: “caerse”, “peinarse”, “lavarse”, “levantarse” or “ducharse”, although there are many more that you will find below. In English, for example, reflexive verbs use pronouns (myself, yourself or herself).

Therefore, in English the reflection of the sentence is shown with the pronouns themself or himself. But, in Spanish, the reflexive verbs are already inside the verb itself: acordarse or mirarse. Reflexive verbs in Spanish are characterized, then, by having the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb and in the infinitive at the end (-se).

The reflexive pronouns in Spanish are:

• Me (me)
• Te (you)
• Se (he or she)
• Nos (we)
• Os (you)
• Se (they)

When to use reflexive verbs in Spanish?

Spanish reflexive verbs are used in several specific situations:

• To describe personal or self-care actions. They are used when we talk about actions that someone does about themselves, such as hygiene, dressing or self-care activities. Examples: bañarse, peinarse or lavarse.
• To express changes of state or emotions. Many reflexive verbs in Spanish reflect a transition of state or emotion. Examples: enfadarse, alegrarse or aburrirse.
• To express reciprocal actions. Used when the action is performed mutually by two or more people. Example: abrazarse or besarse.
• To change the meaning of some verbs. Some Spanish non-reflexive verbs can have a different meaning when used as reflexives. For example: quedar (to go on a date) vs. quedarse (to stay in a place).

Conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish

To conjugate a reflexive verb in Spanish, you must conjugate the verb in the tense you want and add the corresponding pronoun. An example of a reflexive verb is peinarse and conjugated with the reflexive pronouns it would look like this:

• Me peino (me)
• Te peinas (you)
• Se peina (he or she)
• Nos peinamos (we)
• Os peináis (you)
• Se peinan (they)

Examples of reflexive verbs in Spanish

To understand how reflexive verbs work in sentences, here are several examples in different contexts to understand it better:

• María se peina cada mañana antes de ir a trabajar (Maria combs her hair every morning before going to work).
• Me cepillo los dientes después de cada comida (I brush my teeth after every meal).
• Se enfadó con Juan por no respetar su trabajo (He got angry with Juan for not respecting her work).
• Nos alegramos mucho cuando te vimos ayer (We were very happy when we saw you yesterday).
• Se ayudan cuando hay problemas, por eso hacen tan buen equipo (You help each other when there are problems, that's why you make such a good team)
• Nos escribimos todos los días después de clase (We write to each other every day after school).

You should not forget that certain Spanish verbs can be reflexive and non-reflexive. The differences between them are in the context. For example, the verb llamar, when the context is to call someone, is non-reflexive. E.g. “El director llamó al grupo de Juan para presentar el proyector” (The director called Juan's group to present the projector). However, the verb llamarse is reflexive, since it refers to saying one's own name. E.g. “Me llamo Raquel ¿y tú?” (My name is Raquel, and you?).

Other examples with reflexive and non-reflexive verbs in Spanish are:

• Quedar: when you have an appointment or event. g. “Mañana quedo con Ana para estudiar” (Tomorrow I will meet Ana to study).
• Quedarse: when it means to stay in a place. g. “Ana se queda en casa cuando llueve” (Ana stays at home when it rains).
• Callar: when someone makes another person keep silent. E.g. “El maestro mandó callar a los estudiantes porque hacían mucho ruido” (The teacher told the students to be quiet because they were making too much noise).
• Callarse: when a person decides or is forced to remain silent. E.g. “Nos callamos cuando entró el director al salón” (We kept quiet when the principal came into the classroom).

List of Spanish reflexive verbs

Once you have understood how Spanish reflexive verbs work, you can practice using them in your conversations. But if you still don't know what these verbs are, we leave you a list of the most used reflexive verbs in Spanish and sentences in which they are used:

• Levantarse (Get up) – Me levanto a las 7:00 a.m. (I get up at 7:00 a.m.)
• Ducharse (Shower) – Se ducha cada mañana (She showers every morning)
• Bañarse (Bathe) – Me baño después de hacer ejercicio (I bathe after exercise)
• Cepillarse los dientes (Brush your teeth) – Nos cepillamos los dientes después de cada comida (We brush our teeth after every meal)
• Lavarse las manos, la cara, el pelo… (Wash your hands, face, hair…) – Se lava las manos antes de comer (You wash your hands before you eat)
• Peinarse (Comb) – Te peinas antes de salir de casa (You comb your hair before you leave the house)
• Vestirse (Dress) – Me visto rápido cuando tengo prisa (I dress quickly when I am in a hurry)
• Ponerse (Put on) – Se pone el abrigo porque tiene frío (You put on your coat because you are cold)
• Quitarse (Take off) – Se quita los zapatos al entrar (You take off your shoes when you come in)
• Afeitarse (shave) – Me afeito cada dos días (I shave every other day)
• Maquillarse (Make up) – Se maquilla para la fiesta (She puts on makeup for the party)
• Acostarse (Go to bed) – Me acuesto a las 10:30h (I go to bed at 10:30 p.m.)
• Despertarse (Wake up) – Nos despertamos temprano los fines de semana (We wake up early on weekends)
• Secarse (Dry off) – Me seco el pelo después de bañarme (I dry my hair after I take a bath)
• Enfadarse (Get angry) – Se enfadó porque llegó tarde (He got angry because he was late)
• Alegrarse (Be happy) – Me alegro de verte (I'm glad to see you)
• Entristecerse (Get sad) – Nos entristecemos cuando termina el verano (We get sad when summer ends)
• Preocuparse (Worry) – Se preocupan por sus hijos (They worry about their children)
• Calmarse (Calm down) – Se calma después de un rato (He calms down after a while)
• Aburrirse (Get bored) – Me aburro cuando no hay nada que hacer (I get bored when there is nothing to do)

• Sorprenderse (Be surprised) – Nos sorprendimos con la noticia (We were surprised by the news)
• Asustarse (Get scared) – Te asustas con facilidad (You get scared easily)
• Sentirse (Feel) – Me siento muy bien hoy (I feel very good today)
• Cansarse (Get tired) – Nos cansamos tras una hora corriendo en círculos (We got tired after an hour of running in circles)
• Quedarse (Stay) – Me quedo en casa los domingos (I stay home on Sundays)
• Irse (Leaving) – Nos vamos en diez minutos (We're leaving in ten minutes)
• Llamarse (Be named) – Me llamo María (My name is Maria)
• Divertirse (Have fun) – Nos divertimos mucho en la fiesta (We have a lot of fun at the party)
• Quejarse (Complain) – Siempre se quejan del tráfico (They always complain about the traffic)
• Reírse (Laugh) – Me río mucho con tus bromas (I laugh a lot at your jokes)
• Acercarse (Approach) – Te acercas a la puerta cuando oyes un ruido (You approach the door when you hear a noise)
• Darse cuenta (Realize) – Me di cuenta de que olvidé mi teléfono en el restaurante (I realized I forgot my phone at the restaurant)
• Imaginarse (Imagine) – Me imagino que estará lloviendo (I imagine it's raining)
• Equivocarse (Get wrong) – Nos equivocamos en la dirección (We got the wrong address)
• Atreverse (Dare) – ¿Te atreves a saltar? (Do you dare to jump?)
• Esforzarse (Make an effort/Try) – Me esfuerzo por aprender español (I'm making an effort to learn Spanish)
• Arrepentirse (Regret) – Me arrepiento de no haber estudiado más (I regret not having studied more)
• Olvidarse (Forget) – Me olvidé de traer el paraguas (I forgot to bring my umbrella)
• Concentrarse (Cocentrate) – Me concentro mejor por las mañanas (I concentrate better in the morning)

Integrating reflexive verbs into your daily conversations will allow you to describe your routines, emotions and actions fluently. But if you still have doubts, an intensive Spanish course is what you need. Travel to Spain with don Quijote and keep practicing, surrounded by Spanish 24 hours a day, and with classmates with the same goal as you. Learn Spanish with us!