Reflexive Verbs Flashcards
A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same.
I wash myself.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: myself
Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive.
I wash the car.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: car
Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.
When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in “se.”
lavar to wash (non-reflexive)
lavarse
to wash oneself (reflexive)
To learn to conjugate reflexive verbs, you need to learn a different set of pronouns called “reflexive pronouns.” These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending “se” is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally.
lavarse
yo me lavo I wash (myself)
tú te lavas you wash (yourself) (informal)
él se lava he washes (himself)
ella se lava she washes (herself)
usted se lava you wash (yourself) (formal)
nosotros nos lavamos we wash (ourselves)
nosotras nos lavamos we wash (ourselves) (feminine)
vosotros os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal)
vosotras os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal, feminine)
ustedes se lavan
you-all wash (yourselves)(formal)
ellos se lavan they wash (themselves)
ellas se lavan they wash (themselves) (feminine)
The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.
The purpose of the reflexive object pronouns is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject.
Myself
me
Yourself
te
himself /herself / yourself (formal)
se
Ourselves
nos
Yourselves
Os
Themselves / yourselves
se
To fall downward
caerse
My girlfriend fell running on the track
mi novia se cayó corriendo en la pista
To smoke
Tobacco/drugs
fumarse
My friends dad smokes everyday
el padre de mi amigo se fuma todos los días
To take a shower
ducharse
I shower once in the morning, and once at night
Me ducho una vez en la mañana y una vez en la noche
To enroll
To sign up
inscribirse
I want to enroll in a school closer to my house
me quiero inscribir a una escuela cerca de mi casa
To get burned
Quemarse
I don’t want to get burned
No quiero quemarme
To feel
sentirse
I feel at ease in that hotel
Me siento a gusto en ese hotel
To hurry up
apurarse
He hurried to arrive at the appointment on time
Él se apuró para llegar a la cita a tiempo
To be used to
acostumbrarse
After a year of living in the desert, you get used to the heat
después de un año de vivir en el desierto , te acostumbras al calor
To move
To relocate
mudarse
After I finish college, I’m going to move to Spain
Después de termino el colegio, me voy a mudar a España
To get lost
Perderse
We don’t want to get lost around here
No queremos perdernos por aquí
To get married
casarse
We want to get married soon
Queremos casarnos pronto
To express oneself
expresarse
I don’t know how to express myself very well in Spanish
No sé expresarme muy bien en español
To complain
(To protest)
(Always going to be in the form of a reflexive verb)
quejarse