Spanish Reflexive Verbs
Me lavo la cara. I wash my face.
Nos cepillamos los dientes dos veces al día. We brush our teeth twice a day.
No me gusta peinarme el pelo. I don’t like brushing my hair.
Conjugating with reflexive pronouns
| Subject pronoun | Reflexive pronoun | Verb (cepillarse) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | cepillo |
| tú | te | cepillas |
| él, ella, usted | se | cepilla |
| nosotros | nos | cepillamos |
| vosotros | os | cepilláis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | se | cepillan |
Placement rules
Reflexive pronouns usually go directly before the conjugated verb.
Normalmente los niños se acuestan temprano. Normally kids go to bed early.
Siempre me ducho por las mañanas. I always shower in the morning.
With an infinitive, the pronoun can go before the conjugated verb or attach to the infinitive.
Tenemos que levantarnos temprano los lunes. = Nos tenemos que levantar temprano los lunes. We have to get up early on Mondays.
¿Prefieres lavarte la cara? = ¿Te prefieres lavar la cara? Do you prefer to wash your face?
Use the definite article for body parts and clothing — not the possessive, as in English.
Mi papá se afeitó la barba. My dad shaved his beard.
Uds. deben ponerse los abrigos. You should put on your coats.
Reflexive vs. non-reflexive meanings
| Reflexive | Non-reflexive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| acostarse | to go to bed | acostar | to put to bed |
| dormirse | to fall asleep | dormir | to sleep |
| irse | to go away | ir | to go |
| levantarse | to get up | levantar | to lift |
| ponerse | to put on | poner | to put |
| quitarse | to take off | quitar | to remove |
Me acosté a las 9 anoche. I went to bed at 9 last night.
Acosté a mi hija a las 9 anoche. I put my daughter to bed at 9 last night.
