Download Reflexive Verbs

REFLEXIVE VERBS
Describing Actions That Involve Oneself
REFLEXIVE VERBS
To describe people doing this for
themselves in Spanish, you use
reflexive verbs.
Examples of reflexive actions are…
brushing one’s teeth, combing ones
hair, waking up, falling asleep,
washing one’s face….
Can you think of any more?
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Reflexive pronouns are used with
reflexive verbs to indicate that the
subject of the sentence receives the
action of the verb.
WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?
Let’s look at the verbs
to wash and to wash
one’s self.
Mary washes her face.
Mary washes the car.
The action occurring is
washing. Mary is
washing, and she is also
being washed.
In this sentence the
action occurring is
washing as well. Mary
is washing, but she is
not being washed. The
car is.
FOR THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES TELL
WHETHER YOU WOULD USE A REFLEXIVE
VERB OR NOT.
THEN TRANSLATE.
My neighbor washes his house.
I bathe my dog every week.
My parents shower my sister with gifts on her birthday.
My friends and I fell asleep at 1:00 in the morning.
Julio brushes his hair at night.
She puts on her makeup before leaving her house.
Tomorrow my mom will put on my sister’s makeup.
I wake up at 6 every day.
My dad wakes up around 5.
The old woman cannot get up.
The people brush down their horses after every activity.
My little sister doesn’t know how to brush her teeth.
WHAT ARE THE REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS?
The infinitive form of reflexive verbs
end in “se.” This is a reflexive
pronoun. But the pronoun changes
depending on the subject.
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS IN SPANISH
me
te
se
nos
os
se
CONJUGATING WITH REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
me lavo
nos lavamos
I wash myself
we wash ourselves
te lavas
os laváis
you wash yourself
y‘all wash yourselves
se lava
se lavan
he washes himself
she washes herself
you (formal) wash yourself
they wash themselves
you all (formal) wash yourselves
Let’s conjugate some more verbs. DON’T FORGET stem changing rules
apply to some.
WITH AND WITHOUT REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
With Reflexive Pronoun
Without Reflexive
Pronoun
Pepe se lava.
Pepe lava el carro.
Pepe washes himself.
Pepe washes the car.
REFLEXIVE VERBS AND POSSESSION
Luis se pone la ropa.
Luis puts on his clothes.
Notice the sentence says la ropa and not
su ropa.
This is because reflexive verbs already
include the concept of possession.
REFLEXIVE VERBS IN THE INFINITIVE
FORM
When you use the infinitive form of a
reflexive verbs after a conjugated verb, you
still need to use the correct reflexive
pronoun.
The pronoun can stay at the end of the
reflexive verb or it can be moved in front of
the conjugated verb.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?
Puedo despertarme a las seis.
I can wake up at six.
Me puedo despertar a las seis.
I can wake up at six.
Notice that the pronoun used is “me” because the
subject is “yo.” Notice also the different placements
of the pronouns.
SOME VERBS CHANGE MEANING
Some verbs change their meaning when used
reflexively.
Dormir – to sleep
Dormirse – to fall asleep
Ir – to go
Irse – to leave or go away
Poner – to put
Ponerse – to put on (clothes)
PONER
Pongo
 Pones
 Pone
 Ponemos
 Ponéis
 Ponen

SOME EXAMPLES
Los niños : banarse
Yo : levantarse a las siete
Mi madre y yo : lavarse las manos
Tú : acostarse muy temprano
Ellos: despertarse a las 6
Pablo: cepillarse los dientes