A reflexive verb is the verb which action affects directly on the subject. In general, the are two types of reflexive expressions.
First of all, the sentence that include a verb with a direct object. In this case, the reflexive sentence is when the subject performs the action onto him/herself, therefore the subject and the object will refer to the same entity.
Let’s have a look a some simple examples:
- Me visto I get dressed
- Nosotros nos lavamos We wash ourselves
When the action refers to some part of ourselves then we don’t need to include the possessive article because we are already mentioning that the subject is us. Example:
- El se lava los dientes He brushes his teeth (we don’t include the possessive article his but the indefinite THE)
- Yo me corto las uñas I cut my nails (we write ‘the nails’, instead of ‘my nails’)
Included in this type of sentence would be the reciprocal use, when there is plural subject which does the action to each other. Number and person subject is expressed as well in the pronoun. Example:
- Luis y yo nos abrazamos Luis and I hug each other
- Ellos se llaman todos los días They phone each other everyday
Secondly, there is a use of reflexive verb in order to change the meaning of a verb in a sentence. Best way to understand this is with few examples.
- Sara queda con su amiga en el parque. Sara meets her friend at the park -this is a non reflexive sentence. Quedar means to meet
- Este vestido me queda bien. This dress suits me well -this is a reflexive sentence used to give a different meaning to the verb. Quedar means to suit.
- El director acordó con el sindicato cerrar el lunes. The director agreed with the union to close on Monday -non reflexive sentence. Acordar means to agree
- No me acordé de coger las llaves. I didn’t remember to take the keys -reflexive sentence. Acordarse means to remember
There are some verbs which are always used in a reflexive sentence: arrepentirse (to regret)
Below is a list of common verbs that are used as reflexive verbs in Spanish:
| poner (to put) | ponerse (to wear/dress) |
| sentar (to sit) | sentarse |
| vestir (to dress up) | vestirse |
| levantar (to lift) | levantarse (to get up) |
| bañar (to bath) | bañarse |
| cepillar (to brush) | cepillarse |
| duchar (to shower) | ducharse |
| lavar (to wash) | lavarse |
| quitar (to take off/remove) | quitarse |
| despertar (to wake up) | despertarse |
| acostar (to lay down) | acostarse |
| enfardar (to annoy) | enfadarse (to get angry) |
| mirar (to look) | mirarse |
In this other table you can check the articles used for reflexive sentences
| Subject | direct complement | indirect complement | Prepositions used | reflexive particle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | me | a, de, para, mí | me |
| tu | te | te | a, de, para, ti | te |
| él, usted | le,se | le/lo | a, de, para, él, ello, usted, sí | se |
| ella, usted | le, se | la | a, de, para, ella, ello, usted | se |
| nosotros/as | nos | nos | a, de, para, nosotros/as | nos |
| vosotros/as | os | os | a, de, para, vosotros/as | os |
| ellos, ustedes | les, se | les/los | a, de, para, ellos, ustedes, sí | se |
| ellas, ustedes | les, se | las | a, de, para, ellas, ustedes, sí | se |
con + mi = conmigo
con + ti = contigo
con + si = consigo
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