For English speakers, there isn’t really an equivalent to reflexive verbs. But, anyone can learn to identify and use reflexive verbs in Spanish that refer back to the subject of a sentence.
For example, a school-age boy in Ecuador might proudly say, Me visto todos los días. This means “I get dressed every day,” but it’s helpful to think about it as “I dress myself every day.” Keeping this basic concept in mind will help you use reflexive verbs with confidence in everyday Spanish conversations.
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What is a reflexive verb in Spanish?
A reflexive verb in Spanish often expresses an action that the subject does to itself—but not always. The easiest way to think about reflexive verbs is to consider your typical morning activities.
For instance, Me despierto a las 6:00 a.m. todos los días is translated as “I wake up at 6:00 a.m. every day.” Yet it has the sense of “I wake myself up at 6:00 a.m. every day.” No one else is waking us up, so the action is considered reflexive in Spanish.
Examples of Spanish reflexive verbs in sentences
All of the following morning activities use reflexive verbs. Remembering these morning routines will help your brain make the switch to using reflexive verbs. The examples are all in the first person singular, but full conjugations will be provided later. Notice that Spanish grammar rules dictate that the use of the subject pronouns—in this case, yo (I)—is optional.
- (Yo) me despierto. = I wake up. (I wake myself up.)
- (Yo) me levanto. = I get up. (I raise myself up.)
- (Yo) me lavo los dientes. = I brush my teeth. (I brush my own teeth.)
- (Yo) me baño. = I take a bath/shower. (I bathe/shower myself.)
- (Yo) me visto. = I get dressed. (I dress myself.)
How can you tell if a verb is reflexive in Spanish?
You have probably already noticed in the examples above that there’s a little word (me) between the subject (yo) and the verb. This little word is a reflexive pronoun, and it’s one of the clues for identifying reflexive verbs in Spanish.
These five reflexive pronouns tell you that the action is being done by the subject and to the subject. They are obligatory in the case of reflexive verbs, but keep in mind that some of these pronouns have other functions in Spanish. The subject pronouns, reflexive verbs, and reflexive pronouns in Spanish all work together as a unit.
The following conjugations demonstrate the use of reflexive pronouns in action:
Bañarse – to bathe/to take a bath (present tense)
| Subject Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun | Spanish Sentence | Meaning |
| yo | me | Yo me baño. | I bathe (myself). |
| tú (singular, informal) | te | Tú te bañas. | You bathe (yourself). |
| él/ella/usted | se | Él se baña. | He bathes (himself). |
| nosotros/as | nos | Nosotros nos bañamos. | We bathe (ourselves). |
| *vosotros/as (plural, informal) | os | Vosotros os bañáis. | You bathe (yourselves). |
| ellos/ustedes (plural, formal) | se | Ustedes se bañan. | You bathe (yourselves). |
*Note that the vosotros form is only used in certain Spanish-speaking areas.
The infinitive form of a reflexive verb is a clue
The verb listed above—bañarse—is an example of the infinitive form of a reflexive verb. Those two little letters at the end of the word (-SE) also clue you into the fact that the verb is reflexive. The infinitive forms of non-reflexive verbs in Spanish always end in -AR, -ER, or -IR.
That said, a verb like bañarse also has a nonreflexive form—bañar—which is what we would use when we bathe someone else, like a child or a dog.
List of common Spanish reflexive verbs
This list provides some of the most useful reflexive verbs and their meanings, including the more abstract ones like aburrirse (to get bored). You might look at this as “to bore oneself with something”—which is not the same as being bored.
These verbs are still considered reflexive, but they don’t necessarily imply a direct action upon oneself.
| Spanish | English |
| aburrirse | to get or become bored |
| acostarse | to lie down, to go to bed |
| acostumbrarse | to get used to |
| afeitarse | to shave |
| alegrarse | to be happy about |
| bañarse | to bathe |
| callarse | to be quiet, to shut up |
| cepillarse | to brush |
| despertarse | to wake up, to awaken |
| despedirse | to say good-bye |
| divertirse | to have fun |
| dormirse | to go to sleep, to fall asleep |
| enojarse | to get or become angry |
| lavarse | to wash, to clean, to brush |
| levantarse | to get up, to stand up |
| llamarse | to be called or named |
| maquillarse | to put on makeup |
| olvidarse | to forget |
| preocuparse | to get worried |
| quejarse | to complain about |
| reírse | to laugh |
| sentirse | to feel |
| vestirse | to dress, to get dressed |
Conjugating reflexive verbs in Spanish
To conjugate reflexive verbs, remove the final -SE from the infinitive. This is essentially a neutral reflexive pronoun that has been added to the infinitive, but you need to remove it to do your conjugation. From there, simply conjugate as usual. It doesn’t matter if the verb is regular or irregular.
For example, conjugate the verb levantarse (to get up or stand up) by focusing on the infinitive levantar. Let’s say your subject pronoun is tú, meaning “you” in the informal singular form. As you have seen in the earlier chart, the corresponding reflexive pronoun for tú is te. Then add your conjugated verb for the second person singular:
- Tú te levantas temprano. = You get up early.
What distinguishes the reflexive verbs is not so much their conjugations but the reflexive pronouns used with them. The important thing to know is where to place them.
Reflexive pronoun placement with different tenses
In general, reflexive pronouns go between the subject pronoun and the conjugated verb in a sentence. But there are a few exceptions to this rule. You have already seen that the infinitive forms of the reflexive verbs in Spanish carry the -SE at the end. Here are the other times you may see the reflexive pronouns used at the end of a verb:
Reflexive pronoun placement in progressive tenses
The progressive tenses are the -ING tenses that emphasize an action in progress. For these tenses, the reflexive pronoun can go in its usual place or at the end of the participle. Here’s an example:
- Julia se está vistiendo. = Julia is getting dressed.
- Julia está vistiéndose. = Julia is getting dressed.
Both phrases mean the same thing, but you have the option of placing the pronoun at the end of the participle. This adds on another syllable, and in Spanish, this means you’ll need a Spanish accent mark over the vowel to keep the original stress.
Reflexive pronoun placement in the informal future tense
The informal future tense is used to show intentions. With them, you conjugate the verb ir (to go) and add the preposition a along with the infinitive. Like the progressive tenses, you can place the reflexive pronoun in two different positions:
- Nos vamos a acostar. = We are going to bed.
- Vamos a acostarnos. = We are going to bed.
Reflexive pronoun placement in the imperative mood
The imperative mood in Spanish, used to tell someone to do something, is occasionally employed with reflexive verbs. In this case, the reflexive pronoun goes at the end of the verb. For example:
- Cepíllate los dientes. = Brush your teeth.
Negative and interrogative forms of reflexive verbs in Spanish
Negative and interrogative forms of reflexive verbs are pretty straightforward.
For negation, simply add the word no before the verb construction:
- Ricardo no se enoja fácilmente. = Ricardo does not easily get angry.
For questions, all you need to do is raise your voice or place an upside-down question mark and a regular question mark around your original statement:
- ¿Tú te estás maquillando? = Are you putting makeup on?
Different meanings for reflexive and nonreflexive forms
As you saw in the case of bañarse and bañar, some verbs can be used as reflexive verbs or regular verbs, depending on who is receiving the action.
However, some verbs completely change their meaning when they are reflexive. Here are a few examples:
- Acordar means “to come to an agreement,” but acordarse means “to remember.”
- Poner means “to place or to put,” yet ponerse means “to wear or to put on.”
- Ponerse sometimes means “to become.”
- Volver means “to return.” However, volverse means “to become.”
Key takeaways about reflexive verbs in Spanish
As you learn Spanish, getting comfortable using different types of verbs will make your conversations sound more natural. Keep this information in mind as you practice using Spanish reflexive verbs:
- Spanish reflexive verbs are mostly used for actions performed on oneself.
- They are conjugated the same as other verbs, but reflexive verbs must be used with a reflexive pronoun, which usually goes before the verb.
- The reflexive pronoun corresponds to the subject of the sentence.
- Some tenses allow for the reflexive pronoun to be placed before or after the verb.
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