Reflexive Verbs
A1–B1The present 7 min
Reflexive verbs carry se in the infinitive and a pronoun that matches the subject: me levanto, te duchas, se llama. The pronoun matches the subject and goes before the verb: Me llamo Ana. ¿Cómo te llamas?
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA1–B1
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | a pronoun for each person: me / te / se / nos | Me lavo los dientes. | I brush my teeth. |
| Form | vosotros: os | ¿A qué hora os levantáis? | What time do you get up? |
| Daily routine | getting up, washing, showering, combing your hair | Me levanto a las siete. | I get up at seven. |
| Names | llamarse: what someone is called | Me llamo Lucía. | My name is Lucía. |
| A2With an infinitive | the pronoun joins the infinitive, or goes before the conjugated verb | Quiero levantarme temprano. / Me quiero levantar temprano. | I want to get up early. / I want to get up early. |
| A2Body and clothes | el, la, not a possessive | Me lavo las manos. | I wash my hands. |
| A2New meaning | ir is to go; irse is to leave | Ya me voy. | I'm off now. |
| Trap | the pronoun stays even with yo | Yo me levanto temprano. | I get up early. |
| Trap | without se, the action falls on something else | Lavo los platos. / Me lavo. | I wash the dishes. / I have a wash. |
| B1Each other | in the plural, nos / se can mean “each other” | Ana y Luis se quieren mucho. | Ana and Luis love each other very much. |
OverviewA1
- A reflexive verb names an action the subject does to itself.
- Its infinitive ends in se: levantarse / llamarse / ducharse.
- The verb takes its usual forms, and a pronoun for the person goes before it.
- Many reflexive verbs need no “myself” in English: me levanto is “I get up”.
Form: the pronounsA1–A2
| Person | levantarse | llamarse |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me levanto | me llamo |
| tú | te levantas | te llamas |
| él / ella / usted | se levanta | se llama |
| nosotros / nosotras | nos levantamos | nos llamamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | os levantáis | os llamáis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se levantan | se llaman |
- se serves él, ella and usted, and their plurals.
- Latin America: ustedes takes se, in formal and informal address: ¿A qué hora se levantan ustedes? — What time do you get up?
- Spain: vosotros takes os: ¿Cómo os llamáis? — What are your names?
- A2A stem change stays as in the present: Me acuesto tarde. — I go to bed late.
Use: the daily routineA1–A2
| Verb | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| A2despertarse | Me despierto a las seis. | I wake up at six. |
| levantarse | Me levanto a las siete. | I get up at seven. |
| ducharse | Me ducho por la mañana. | I have a shower in the morning. |
| A2acostarse | Nos acostamos tarde. | We go to bed late. |
| llamarse | Mi hermana se llama Elena. | My sister's name is Elena. |
| A2vestirse | Me visto rápido. | I get dressed quickly. |
Form: with an infinitiveA2
- With an infinitive, the pronoun joins its end, or goes before the conjugated verb: Quiero acostarme temprano. / Me quiero acostar temprano. — I want to go to bed early. / I want to go to bed early.
- The joined pronoun still matches the subject: Vamos a sentarnos. — We're going to sit down.
- A reflexive pronoun with an object pronoun: Two Pronouns Together.
Body and clothesA2
- With body parts and clothes, a reflexive verb takes el / la / los / las, not a possessive: Me lavo las manos. — I wash my hands.
- ponerse is to put on, and quitarse to take off: Se pone el abrigo. / Se quita los zapatos. — She puts her coat on. / He takes his shoes off.
Use: each otherB1
- In the plural, nos / se can say that two or more people do the action to each other: Ana y Luis se quieren mucho. / Nos vemos todos los viernes. — Ana and Luis love each other very much. / We see each other every Friday.
- el uno al otro makes the meaning clear: Los hermanos se ayudan el uno al otro. — The brothers help each other.
- Spain: With vosotros, the pronoun is os: ¿Os conocéis? — Do you know each other?
Compare: with and without seA1–A2
| Without se | With se |
|---|---|
| Lavo los platos. — I wash the dishes. | Me lavo. — I have a wash. |
| Llamo a mi madre. — I call my mother. | Me llamo Ana. — My name is Ana. |
| A2Voy a Lima. — I'm going to Lima. | Me voy. — I'm leaving. |
| A2Duermo ocho horas. — I sleep for eight hours. | Me duermo en el sofá. — I fall asleep on the sofa. |
Typical errorsA1–A2
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Llamo Ana. | Me llamo Ana. | a name takes llamarse: me llamo |
| Yo se levanto a las siete. | Yo me levanto a las siete. | the pronoun matches the subject: yo me |
| Nosotros se acostamos tarde. | Nosotros nos acostamos tarde. | nosotros takes nos |
| A2Me lavo mis manos. | Me lavo las manos. | body parts take el or la, not a possessive |
| A2Quiero me acostar. | Quiero acostarme. | the pronoun joins the infinitive, or goes before quiero |