31 Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs differ from other verbs in that the doer of the action and the receiver of the action are the same person. Reflexive verbs are often listed with the reflexive pronouns “se” attached to the infinitive: levantarse (to get up).

Forms of the reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs always appear with the appropriate reflexive pronoun. It is important to understand that the reflexive pronoun functions as an object pronoun and does not take the place of the subject pronoun: (yo) me lavo, (tú) te lavas, and so on. The reflexive pronouns are given below:

Study the example of a reflexive verb:

Position of reflexives

• Reflexive pronouns go immediately in front of conjugated verbs.

Me despierto.  I wake up.

María se pone el vestido.  Mary puts on the dress.

• If an infinitive or a present participle is involved, you can put the refelxive pronoun behind the infinitive or the present participle, or in front of the first verb.

Quiero ducharme. / Me quiero duchar.I want to have a shower.

Reflexive vs Non- refexive Verbs

• A reflexive verb sometimes differs in meaning from the nonreflexive form. Study the following examples:

• After a reflexive verb, the definite article (not the possessive, as in English) is used with articles of clothing and body parts.

Se pone el abrigo.    He is putting on his coat.

Me lavo los dientes.    I brush my teeth.

• The reflexive can be used to mean “to oneself”. The prepositional phrases a mí mismo, a ti mismo, a sí mismo etc. are optional and can be added for extra emphasis.

Yo me hablo (a mí mismo/a).I talk to myself.

Ellos se mienten (a sí mismos/as).They lie to themselves.

• The plural reflexive pronouns (nos, os, se) can be used to express mutual or reciprocal actions, generally expressed in English with the phrase each other. When context is not sufficient to establish meaning, the reciprocal is indicated by the clarifying phrase uno a otro (una a otra, unos a otros, unas a otras). The use of definite articles in the clarifying phrase is option: el uno al otro, la una a la otra.

Nos escribimos muy a menudo.  We write to each other frequently.

Os veis con frecuencia, ¿no?  You (all) see each other a lot, don’t you?

Van a hablarse uno a otro.    They are going to talk to each other in the bar.

Other Uses of Reflexive Verbs

• The reflexive pronoun se can also be used with certain verbs to express the idea of get or become. Many of the verbs below that use reflexive pronouns are not reflexive, that is, they do not convey the idea of a subject performing an action on itself.

This use of reflexive pronouns to signal inner feelings or processes, especially changes in physical, emotion, or mental states or changes in position is very frequent in Spanish. In contrast to reflexive constructions, English does not have a special way to indicate a process. For example, in the phrases the water freezes and the snow melts, it is clear from the context that the water and the snow are not performing actions. Rather, each is undergoing a process, in this case a change in physical state. In Spanish, a process is always signalled by a reflexive pronoun.

El niño se enfermó.  The child got sick.

Todos nos levantamos cuando entró.  We all stood up when he entered.

Me puse furiosa al recibir las noticias.  I got furious upon receiving the news.

• Because both reflexive and process constructions use the same set of pronouns, the two structures look very similar. In addition, many verbs can be used with both meanings.

Reflexive:  El niño se secó después del baño.  The child dried himself off after his bath.

Process:  El café se seca al sol por varias semanas.   The coffee dries (out) in the sun for several weeks.

Actually, the process use of se is much more common than the reflexive use. You may find that being aware of the process meaning can help you to interpret many constructions more accurately when context makes the reflexive meaning unlikely.

The verb to become

• ponerse + adjective = a (temporary) change in physical or emotional state

Se puso enfermo.  He got (became) sick.

Se van a poner furiosos.  They are going to get angry.

• volverse + adjective = a long-lasting, often irreversible change in physical or emotional state

Se volvió loco.  He went (became) crazy. (He is now crazy)

El nuevo camarero se ha vuelto muy perezoso.   The new waiter has turned very lazy. (He is now lazy).

• llegar a ser + noun/adj = to get to be, implying a slow transformation process, usually involving some kind of effort in the pursuit of a goal.

Llegó a ser una pintora famosa.  She became a famous painter (in time).

Después de muchos años, llegó a ser rico.  After many years, he became rich.

• hacerse + noun/adj = to become (general)

Se hizo socialista.  He became a socialist.

Se hizo rico con la compraventa de coches.  He became rich by buying and selling cars.

La situación se hizo (se puso) imposible.  The situation became impossible.