Reflexive verbs
Me levanto, se llaman, nos vemos: reflexive verbs and where their pronoun goes.
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Reflexive verbs, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Recognise a reflexive verb
A reflexive infinitive ends in -se: levantarse (to get up), llamarse (to be called), lavarse (to get washed). The se shows that the action is done to yourself: Me lavo means I get washed.
Use the reflexive pronoun that matches the person
The pronoun goes in front of the verb and changes with the person: me levanto, te levantas, se levanta, nos levantamos, os levantáis, se levantan. Se covers he, she, usted, they and ustedes.
Describe your daily routine
Many routine verbs are reflexive, and several change their stem too: me despierto (I wake up), me levanto, me lavo los dientes, me visto (I get dressed). Link them with luego and después: Me levanto a las siete y luego me visto.
Use the article with parts of the body and clothes
The pronoun already shows whose they are, so Spanish uses el, la, los or las rather than mi: Me lavo el pelo, Se lava las manos, Me pongo los zapatos.
Notice the verbs that change meaning when they are reflexive
Some verbs mean something new with the pronoun. Ir is to go but irse is to leave (Me voy, I am off), and llamar is to call but llamarse is to be called. Poner is to put, while ponerse is to put on, or to become with a feeling: Me pongo nervioso.
Place the pronoun with two verbs and in commands
With two verbs, the pronoun goes before the first or joins the end of the infinitive: Me voy a levantar or Voy a levantarme; Se debe lavar or Debe lavarse. In a command it joins the end, with an accent to keep the stress: ¡Lávate!, ¡Levántate!
Say each other with nos, os and se
In the plural, a reflexive can mean each other: Nos vemos los sábados (we see each other on Saturdays), Os entendéis bien, Mis padres se quieren mucho. ¡Nos vemos! on its own means see you.
Place nos and os with two verbsHigher only
The plural pronouns follow the same rule as me and te, before the first verb or on the end of the infinitive. Nos vamos a levantar temprano and Vamos a levantarnos temprano both mean we are going to get up early, and Tenéis que vestiros means you all have to get dressed.
Reflexive verbs key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Reflexive verb
- A verb whose action is done to the person doing it, shown by se on the end of the infinitive: lavarse means to get washed.
- Reflexive pronoun
- The small word that goes with a reflexive verb and matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os. Nos levantamos means we get up.
- levantarse
- To get up: Me levanto a las siete means I get up at seven.
- llamarse
- To be called: ¿Cómo te llamas? asks what you are called, and Me llamo Lucía answers it.
- vestirse
- To get dressed, an e to i verb: Me visto means I get dressed, and se viste means he or she gets dressed.
- irse
- To leave or go away: Me voy means I am off. Without the pronoun, ir just means to go.
- ponerse
- To put on clothes, or to become with a feeling: Me pongo la camiseta means I put my T-shirt on, and Se pone triste means he gets sad.
- Reciprocal
- Meaning each other, which plural reflexives can say: Nos vemos mañana means we will see each other tomorrow.
Common mistakes in Reflexive verbs
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Leaving out the pronoun, as in Levanto a las siete.
Without me, levanto means I lift something up. For I get up, write Me levanto a las siete.
Keeping se from the infinitive for every person, as in Yo se lavo.
The pronoun changes with the person: me lavo, te lavas, nos lavamos. Se is only for he, she, usted, they and ustedes.
Using mi with a part of the body, as in Me lavo mis manos.
The pronoun already shows whose hands they are, so use the article: Me lavo las manos, Se lava el pelo.
Putting the pronoun between two verbs, as in Voy me a levantar.
The pronoun goes before the first verb or on the end of the infinitive, never in between: Me voy a levantar or Voy a levantarme.
Leaving the accent off a command with a pronoun, as in Levantate.
Adding the pronoun to a command of two syllables or more puts the stress on the third syllable from the end, which needs a written accent: ¡Levántate! and ¡Lávate! both carry one.
Practice
Try a Reflexive verbs question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which sentence means the same as Me quiero cambiar antes de salir.?
- Quiero me cambiar antes de salir.
- Quiero cambiarse antes de salir.
- Quiero cambiarme antes de salir.
- Me quiero cambiarme antes de salir.
Show the answer and the working
Answer: Quiero cambiarme antes de salir.
With a modal verb and an infinitive, the pronoun goes either before the conjugated verb or on the end of the infinitive: Me quiero cambiar and Quiero cambiarme mean the same, I want to get changed.
- Cambiarse is to get changed.
- The pronoun me can sit before quiero or on the end of cambiar.
- Moving it gives Quiero cambiarme antes de salir.