REFLEXIVE VERBS IN SPANISHRemember when I told you Me llamo is an expression that translates in English to My name is.Let’s have a look at what really is going on. Llamarse is a reflexive verb which means the Doer of the action = the Receiver as well. So you are literally saying I call myself…In Spanish we use reflexive pronouns to show the difference.

You always need to conjugate a verb in Spanish to make a sentence so let’s review the Regular –ar verb endings:(yo) (nosotros/as)(tú) (vosotros/as)(usted) (ustedes)(él/ella) (ellos/ellas)

(yo) llam (nosotros/as) llam

(tú) llam (vosotros/as) llam

(usted) llam (ustedes) llam

(él/ella) llam (ellos/ellas) llam

llam - to call oneself

o

as

a

amos

áis

an

o

as

a

amos

áis

me

a an

a an

an

te

se

se

os

nos

se

se

ar se

Now let’s look at a stem changer to review.You always need those verb endings!

Let’s do an –ir verb.(yo) (nosotros/as)(tú) (vosotros/as)(usted) (ustedes)(él/ella)

(ellos/ellas)

(yo) vist (nosotros/as) vest

(tú) vist (vosotros/as) vest

(usted) vist (ustedes) vist

(él/ella) vist (ellos/ellas) vist

vest (e>i)- to get dressed

o

es

e

imos

ís

en

o

es

e

imos

ís

me

e en

e en

en

te

se

se

os

nos

se

se

ir se

What is a reflexive verb in Spanish? (Verb=ACTION)

It is a when the Doer of the action is the Receiver as well. In Spanish we add the reflexive pronouns, me te, se, nos, os, se, to our sentence to make the difference between a normal sentence. How do we choose the right reflexive pronoun? It depends on the subject pronoun you are using and YOU HAVE TO MEMORIZE THEM. In English SOMETIMES these pronouns translate as myself, yourself, etc, or each other but only sometimes. Often, we wouldn’t translate them at all.Spanish is a foreign language, so PRACTICE,PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

-ar ENGLISH -er ENGLISHacostarse (o>ue) to go to bed ponerse el piyama

(irregular yo=pongo)to put on your pijamas.

despertarse (e>ie) to wake up me pongo la pijama. I put on my pijamas.

lavarse la cara to wash your facelavarse los dientes to brush your teethbañarse to take a bathpeinarse to comb your hair -irmaquillarse to put on makeup sentirse (e>ie) bien to feel goodafeitarse las piernas

to shave your legs sentirse (e>ie) mal to not feel goodto feel sick

quitarse la ropa to take off your clothes

vestirse (e>i) to get dressed

estirarse to stretchlevantarse to get upllamarse to call yourself

COMMON SPANISH REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

To make a negative sentence. Put «no» before the reflexive pronoun.

(él) se lava los dientes. No He doesn´t brush his teeth.

(Yo) No me maquillo.

I don’t put on make up.I put on makeup!

¡(Yo) Me maquillo!

(él) Se siente mal. No se siente bien.It feels sick. It doesn´t feel well.

(él) se siente bien. No se siente mal.He feels great. He doesn´t feel sick.

Me siento bien.

(nosotros) No nos lavamos las caras.(nosotros) Nos lavamos los dientes.

We don’t wash our faces.We brush our teeth.

(ella) Se despierta. (él) No se despierta.She wakes up. He doesn’t wake up.

(ella) No se afeita la cara. (ella) Se afeita las piernas.She doesn´t shave her face.She shaves her legs.

(tú) “No te despiertas. Te duermes.”

“You aren’t waking up. You are falling asleep.”

(Yo) No me maquillo.

To form a ? put a ¿ at the beginning of the sentence and a ? at the end.

(tú) Te duermes ?¿Are you falling asleep?Do you fall asleep?