What are reflexive verbs in Spanish? A reflexive verb is a verb in which the subject (person or thing that completes the action) and object (person or thing that receives the action) are one and the same. In other words, the action "reflects back" onto the subject, or entailssomething one does to or for him or herself. It is no wonder then, that many of the things we "do to ourselves" in our daily routines (e.g.shaving ourselves, washing ourselves, etc.) fall into the category of reflexive Spanish verbs.
Recognizing Spanish Reflexive Verbs
How can we recognize Spanish reflexive verbs? The mainway to distinguishreflexive verbs in Spanishisby the fact that they all end in the pronounsein their infinitive form.To take a very simple example, while the verbhablarmeans "to talk,"hablarse is a reflexive verb meaning"to talk to oneself."However, the translations for reflexive verbs in Spanish aren't always so straightforward.
As we often say just "I shave" or "I wash" in lieu of "I shave/wash myself," the English translationsofSpanish reflexive verbs won't alwaysincludepronouns like "myself," "yourself," etc.In other cases, the meanings of verbs like parecer(to seem)completely changein their reflexive forms (parecerse means "to look like"). And so, asthereare a lotmore reflexive verbs in Spanish than in English, many of whichmay not "seem" reflexive,with increased exposure to Spanish, we will learn whichEnglish concepts are expressed withSpanish reflexive verbs.
Conjugating Spanish Reflexive Verbs:Reflexive Pronouns
To conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish,we must memorize the reflexivepronouns that correspondto each personal pronoun:yo (I),tú(you), etc.. Reflexive pronouns are most often placed before the verb, which is conjugated "as usual" (in the same way as its non-reflexive form). To demonstrate this, let's take a look at the reflexive pronouns andthe simple present conjugation of the regular verbhablar. We will thenshowyouthe conjugation of its reflexive form (hablarse).
| Personal Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun | Hablar | Hablarse |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | hablo | me hablo |
| tú | te | hablas | te hablas |
| él, ella, usted | se | habla | se habla |
| nosotros/as | nos | hablamos | nos hablamos |
| vosotros/as | os | habláis | os habláis |
| ellos/as, ustedes | se | hablar | se hablan |
Reflexive Verbs in Spanish for Your Daily Routine
Now that you know the Spanish reflexive pronouns and how to conjugate reflexive Spanish verbs, let's take a look at some examples ofreflexive verbs in Spanish for describing things that manyof us do on a daily basis, with lots of instancesfrom our Yabla video library as always! Here is our list of Spanish reflexive verbs for your daily routine:
1.Despertarse
The Spanish reflexive verbdespertarsemeans "to wake up":
y por la mañaname despiertoentre seis y cuarenta y cinco a siete y cuarto.
and in the morningI wake upbetween six forty-five and seven fifteen.
Caption 62,Los médicos explican - Diagnóstico: nervios y estrés
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2.Levantarse
After waking up, the next step might belevantarse("to get up" or "get out of bed"):
Se levantamuy temprano.
She gets upvery early.
Caption 51,El Aula Azul - Las Profesiones
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In other contexts, the reflexive Spanish verblevantarsecould also mean, among other things, "to stand up" or "get up," as from a seat, or even "to rise up against," as in a rebellion.
3. Bañarse
The Spanish nounbaño means "bath," and the verbbañarsecan mean "to take a bath" as well. However, asbañarse can also be the more general"to bathe," a personmight even use this verb to express the fact that they are taking a shower!Let's look at an example of this reflexive Spanish verb:
Uno se baña todos los días, mijita.
One bathes every day, my girl.
Caption 41, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido
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On the other hand, if a person at the beach expresses their desire tobañarse, rather than wanting to wash the sand off of themselves,they are letting you know they would like to take a dip! TheSpanish reflexive verbbañarsecan also mean "to go swimming," atranslation that often comes as a surprise to English speakers:
No hay muchas olas grandes como en Atacames.
There aren't many big waves like in Atacames.
Es más tranquilo para bañarse.
It's more peaceful to go swimming.
Captions 62-63, Pipo - Un paseo por la playa de Atacames
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4. Ducharse
In the morning, at night, or after the beach, indeed, onemight need to ducharse(to take a shower):
¿Qué está haciendo Silvia?
See AlsoReflexive Verbs In Spanish: The Only Guide That You NeedSpanish Reflexive VerbsReflexive Pronouns - Purdue OWL® - Purdue UniversitySpanish Reflexive Verbs: The Only Guide You'll Ever NeedWhat is Silvia doing?
Silvia se está duchando.
Silvia is taking a shower.
Captions 11-12, El Aula Azul - Actividades diarias: En casa con Silvia
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Note that, in this example, the verb ducharseis conjugated in the present progressive tense. As with the present indicative and all other tenses, verbs are conjugated in the exact same way as they would be were they non-reflexive, with the addition of the appropriate reflexive pronoun.
5. Lavarse
The reflexive verb in Spanish lavarsegenerally means "to wash (oneself)." Let's look at an example:
Por ejemplo, "Yo me lavo".
For example,"Yo me lavo" [I wash myself].
La acción recae sobre la persona
The action falls back upon the person
que realiza la acción.
who carries out the action.
Pero, "Yo lavo los platos".
But, "Yo lavo los platos" [I wash the dishes].
Captions 45-48, Lecciones con Carolina - Verbos reflexivos
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In this informative video about Spanish reflexive verbs, Yabla fan favorite Carolina explains the difference between reflexive and non-reflexive verbs, in this case the verbs lavar (to wash) and lavarse (to wash oneself). Let's look at an additional example:
Yo me lavo las manos. Tú te lavas las manos.
I wash my hands.You wash your hands.
Captions 19-20, Fundamentos del Español - 9 - Verbos Reflexivos
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Unlike in English, where we express theidea of washing one's hands or some other body partwitha possessive pronoun (my, your, etc.), this is not the case in Spanish. Instead, weuse the definite article for the noun in question,manos (hands),in this case,las (the).Because the reflexive pronounalready indicates thattheaction is something we doto ourselves, itwould be redundant in Spanish to say:Yo me lavo mis manos. As the correct way to express thisis "Yo me lavo las manos," itmight help you to remember the literal but non-sensical translation: "I wash myself the hands."
That said, let's move on to something else that's expressed with the notionof "washing" in Spanish:lavarse los dientes(to brush one's teeth).
6. Lavarse/cepillarse los dientes
Lavarse los dientes(literally "to wash one's teeth") is one of saying "to brush one's teeth" in Spanish:
Después, ehm... suelo lavarme los dientes en el baño,
After that, um... I usually brush my teeth in the bathroom,
Caption 3, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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Different countries, regions, or individuals might instead usecepillarse los dientes, which also means "to brush one's teeth."Let's check out anexample in the preterite tense:
Se cepilló los dientes,
He brushed his teeth,
Caption 20, Aprendiendo con Carlos - El microrrelato
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7.Cepillarse el pelo/cabello
By extension, the noun elcepillo means "the brush," and we mighthave acepillo de dientes(toothbrush) as well as a cepillo de pelo/cabello (hair brush),as in the following caption:
Sí... -¿Qué necesitamos para ir allí?
Yes... -What do we need to go there?
El cepillo de dientes.
A toothbrush.
El cepillo del pelo.
A hair brush.
Captions 49-51, Un Viaje a Mallorca - Planificando el viaje
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So, you've probably surmised by now that the verbcepillarse el pelo/cabellomeans"to brush one's hair."
8. Peinarse
The verb peinarse can mean "to comb one's hair" with a comb (un peine), "to brush one's hair,"or "todo" or "style" one's hair in general:
Por eso paró en la playa
That's why she stopped on the beach
para mirarse en el espejo y peinarse.
to look at herself in the mirror and comb her hair.
Captions 21-22, Guillermina y Candelario - Mi Amiga la Sirena
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9. Afeitarse
Afeitarse is the verb for "to shave" (oneself, of course)!
Vos sabés lo que es todas las mañanas...
Do you know what it's like every morning...
mirarse en el espejo cuando uno se afeita
to look at oneself in the mirror when one's shaving,
Captions 30-31, Muñeca Brava - 8 Trampas
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10. Maquillarse
The next step in one's morning routine might be maquillarse (to put on makeup):
Aquí, siempre me maquillo para mis conciertos.
Here, I always put on makeup for my concerts.
Caption 47, Ariana - Mi Casa
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Alternatively, one might sayAquí, siempreme pinto para mis conciertos, aspintarse(literally "to paint oneself") also means "to put on makeup."
11. Vestirse
Vestirseis the way to say "to get dressed" in Spanish.
Yo salgo y... y te vistes.
I'll leave and... and you get dressed.
Caption 30, Confidencial:El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 2
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Anotherway to say this mightbeponerse la ropa(to put on one's clothes).
12.Sacarse la ropa
Although sacarse la ropa is one manner of saying"to get undressed" or "take off one's clothes," there are many other examples of reflexive verbs in Spanish that mean the same thing, including: quitarse la ropa, desvestirse, and desnudarse. Let's look at a couple of examples:
Si "Libertinaje" te saca...
If "Libertinaje" takes off your.....
te invita a sacarte la ropa,
invites you to take off your clothes,
Captions 4-5, Bersuit Vergarabat - EPK
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Y se desnuda poco a poco y se convierte en tu piel
And she gets naked little by little and she becomes your skin
Caption 6, Reik - Inolvidable
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As you can see, the more literal "to get naked" might be an alternate translation for desnudarse.
13. Acostarse
We're finally getting to the end of our daily routine, when it's time for us to acostarnos(go to bed):
Tranquilícese, vaya a acostarse y deje de pensar en imposibles.
Calm down, go to bed, and stop thinking about impossible things.
Caption 31, Muñeca Brava - 48 - Soluciones
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14. Dormirse
And finally, once in bed, it's time to fall asleep! While the non-reflexivedormir means "to sleep," dormirse means "to fall asleep."
Me dormí pensando en ti; pensando en ti, me desperté
I fell asleep thinking about you; thinking about you, I woke up
Caption 10, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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More Reflexive Verbs in Spanish
Of course, this is just a partial list of reflexive verbs in Spanish that might be applicable to our daily routines. There are a lot more common reflexive verbs in Spanish that describe things onemight do on a daily basis,including secarse (to dry oneself off),sentarse (to sit down), sentirse(to feel), emocionarse (to get excited),encontrarse con alguien(to meet with someone),acordarse de(to remember), olvidarse (to forget),sonreírse(to smile), reírse (to laugh),despedirse(to say goodbye),irse(to leave), and many, many more!
For additional information on Spanish reflexive verbs, check out this video from the series Fundamentos del Español. And don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
