By Lingobi, Published on 07/21/2025
In Spanish, reflexive verbs are used when the subject of the sentence performs an action on themselves. That means the action "reflects" back on the person doing it. This is a common and important part of the language, especially when talking about daily routines, personal care, and emotions.
If you’ve ever seen verbs like levantarse (to get up), ducharse (to shower), or sentirse (to feel), you’ve encountered reflexive verbs. These verbs always come with a reflexive pronoun: me, te, se, nos, se.
Example: Yo me levanto a las siete. (I get up at seven.)
Each subject in Spanish has its own matching reflexive pronoun. These are placed before the verb or attached to the end of an infinitive or command.
yo → me
tú → te
él/ella/usted → se
nosotros/as → nos
ellos/ellas/ustedes → se
To conjugate a reflexive verb, follow these steps:
Verb: levantarse (to get up)
yo me levanto
tú te levantas
él/ella se levanta
nosotros nos levantamos
ellos/ellas se levantan
Here are some reflexive verbs you’ll use a lot:
Not all verbs are reflexive, and some can be both reflexive and non-reflexive depending on the context.
Reflexive: Ella se lava las manos. (She washes her own hands.)
Non-reflexive: Ella lava el carro. (She washes the car.)
Spanish speakers often use reflexive verbs to describe their daily habits. Learning these will help you talk about your day naturally.
Me despierto a las seis.
Me ducho y me visto.
Luego me voy al trabajo.
When a reflexive verb follows another verb (like “querer” or “necesitar”), you can attach the pronoun to the end of the infinitive or put it before the first verb.
Quiero ducharme ahora. = Me quiero duchar ahora.
Commands also change slightly when using reflexive verbs. For positive commands, attach the pronoun to the end of the verb. For negative commands, place the pronoun in front.
Positive: ¡Levántate! (Get up!)
Negative: ¡No te levantes! (Don’t get up!)
Reflexive verbs are also used to describe emotional or physical changes.
Me enojo fácilmente. (I get angry easily.)
Se puso triste. (He got sad.)
There’s another use of “se” in Spanish that can seem similar, but it’s different. It’s called the “impersonal se” or “passive se,” and it’s used to describe general actions where no specific subject is mentioned. This isn't reflexive, but it's easy to confuse, so it's good to be aware of.
Se habla español aquí. (Spanish is spoken here.)
The best way to master reflexive verbs is through practice. Talk about your daily routine, describe how you feel, or give yourself commands. Once you internalize the patterns, they’ll become second nature.
As someone who learned Spanish from scratch, reflexive verbs were intimidating at first—but now, they’re part of how I naturally express myself. You’ll get there too.
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