Question 1

When to use reflexive pronouns in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

Put simply, reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject and the object of the verb are one and the same. A common and explanatory example is:

Yo me lavo las manos. (I wash my hands).

In the example, the subject ‘I’ performs the action of washing his/her own hands, so clearly the subject is performing the action on itself.

A fun fact: Lavarse las manos (‘to wash one’s hands’) is also a commonly used idiom in Spanish that means that one is not taking the blame or being held accountable for a certain action, circumstance, event or the like.

Question 2

What are the reflexive pronouns in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

The following are the reflexive pronouns in Spanish:

me (myself) – Example: Me lavo las manos. (I wash my hands.)

te (yourself in informal singular) – Example: Te lavas las manos. (You wash your hands.)

se (himself, herself, itself, yourself in formal singular) – Example: Él se lava las manos. (He washes his hands.)

nos (ourselves) – Example: Nos lavamos las manos. (We wash our hands.)

os (yourselves in informal plural) – Example: Os laváis las manos. (You wash your hands.)

se (themselves, yourselves – formal plural) – Example: Ellas se lavan las manos (They wash their hands.)

Question 3

Where to place reflexive pronouns in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

Reflexive pronouns are most frequently placed in front of the verb, for example:

Me afeito por las mañanas. (I shave in the mornings).

In the example above, the reflexive pronoun me is located before the conjugated verb afeito (I shave).

However, in the case of a pronoun being used in tandem with an infinitive verb, a present participle gerund or an affirmative imperative form, it is placed after the verb. Examples for each:

A ella le gusta ducharse por las noches. She likes to shower in the evenings.

Ella está duchándose por las noches. She is taking a shower in the evenings.

Dúchate por las noches. Shower in the evenings.

Question 4

How to conjugate reflexive pronouns in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

To conjugate reflexive pronouns in Spanish follow these steps:

Firstly, identify the corresponding reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) that agrees with the subject (yo, tú, él, ella, etc.) of the phrase.

Secondly, conjugate the verb based on the corresponding subject and then place the reflexive pronoun before the verb.

Here is an example following the steps using the phrase ‘I wash my hands’:

Step one: Identify the reflexive pronoun for the phrase ‘I wash my hands’, which would be, me (myself) because I myself (me) am washing my own hands.

Step two: The infinitive form of the verb ‘to wash’ is lavar, so based on the corresponding subject of the example yo (I), we then conjugate the verb and place the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb.

End result is: Yo me lavo las manos.

Question 5

What are Spanish reflexive verbs that change meaning?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, some verbs, when used in tandem with a reflexive pronoun, acquire a completely different meaning in comparison to their non-reflexive form. Here are some common comparative examples:

Levantar (to raise, lift) vs. Levantarse (to get up)

Llamar (to call) vs. Llamarse (to be called, as in to be named)

Acordar (to agree, to come to a consensus) vs. Acordarse (to remember)

Parecer (to seem) vs. Parecerse (to look alike)

Encontrar (to find) vs. Encontrarse (to meet or to feel a certain way)

Dormir (to sleep) vs Dormirse (to fall asleep)

Despedir (to let go – in an employment context) vs. Despedirse (to say goodbye)

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