Reflexive verbs show up constantly in everyday Spanish conversation. Once you understand how they work, a whole new set of verbs opens up to you.
A reflexive verb is one where the subject performs the action on themselves. In English we sometimes say "I wash myself" or "she hurt herself." Spanish uses reflexive verbs much more widely, including for daily routines, emotional states, and changes in condition.
In Spanish, reflexive verbs are identified by the pronoun "se" attached to the end of the infinitive. Lavar means "to wash." Lavarse means "to wash oneself."
To conjugate a reflexive verb, you conjugate the base verb normally and add the correct reflexive pronoun before it. The pronoun changes depending on the subject.
| Subject | Pronoun | Lavarse (present) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me | me lavo |
| Tú | te | te lavas |
| Él / Ella | se | se lava |
| Nosotros | nos | nos lavamos |
| Vosotros | os | os laváis |
| Ellos / Ellas | se | se lavan |
When a reflexive verb appears as an infinitive in a sentence, the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb and changes to match the subject of the sentence.
Quiero lavarme.
I want to wash myself.
Necesitas lavarte.
You need to wash yourself.
Puede lavarse.
He can wash himself.
Podemos lavarnos.
We can wash ourselves.
Some verbs have a different meaning depending on whether they are used reflexively or not.
| Verb | Regular meaning | Reflexive meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ir / irse | to go | to go away / leave |
| poner / ponerse | to put | to put on / become |
| llamar / llamarse | to call | to be named |
| dormir / dormirse | to sleep | to fall asleep |
| quedar / quedarse | to remain / fit | to stay |
Spanish Conjugation Training includes a dedicated Reflexive verb category with full conjugation support, pronominal forms displayed in the study panel, and quiz mode to drill the conjugations until they stick.
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