Reflexive Verbs  



Gramática
When the doer and the receiver of the action of the verb
is the same person, we use the reflexive form of the verb.
In English this is shown by the use of words such as
myself, yourself, himself, herself, etc.

I dress myself every morning at six o'clock. (Reflexive)
I dress my son every morning at six o'clock. (Non-reflexive)

He washes himself before eating. (Reflexive)
He washes the dog on Saturdays. (Non-Reflexive)

*The reflexive pronoun must come DIRECTLY before the conjugated verb.

Let's conjugate the reflexive verb afeitarse (to shave).

Present tense forms of afeitarse (to shave)

yo me afeito (I shave myself) nosotros nos afeitamos (we shave ourselves)
tú te afeitas (you shave yourself) vosotros os afeitáis (you guys shave yourselves)
Ud./él/ella se afeita (he shaves himself) Uds./ellos/ ellas se afeitan (they shave themselves)

Gramática
The infinitive form of a reflexive verb is written with
the reflexive pronoun "se".

Examples:
afeitarse - to shave (oneself)
lavarse - to wash (oneself)
levantarse - to get (oneself) up
llamarse - to call (oneself)

In English we can say "I shave every morning" or
"I shave myself every morning."

In Spanish there is only one option:

Yo me afeito todas las mañanas. - I shave myself every morning.

The reflexive pronoun is placed before the conjugated verb.

Examples:

Yo me afeito. - I shave myself.
Tú te afeitas muy rápido. - You shave yourself very quickly.
Guillermo se afeita muy despacio. - William shaves himself very slowly.
Nosotros nos afeitamos todas las mañanas. - We shave ourselves every morning.
Ellos se afeitan cada noche. - They shave themselves every evening.

Vocabulario

afeitarse - to shave
alegrarse - to become happy
asustarse - to become frightened
atrasarse - to get behind or delayed
confundirse - to become confused
emocionarse - to become excited or emotional
enamorarse (de) - to fall in love
irritarse - to become irritated
lavarse - to wash
levantarse - to get up
llamarse - to call
mejorarse - to improve
molestarse - to become upset
ofenderse - to become offended
perderse - to become lost
sorprenderse - to become surprised

Sentences with llamarse
Hola, me llamo Roberta. - Hi, my name is Roberta.
¿Cómo se llama usted? - What's your name?
Ella se llama Rebeca. - Her name is Rebeca.
¿Cómo se llama el niño? - What is the child’s name? (boy)
¿Cómo se llama la niña? - What is the child’s name? (girl)
¿Cómo se llama el bebé? - What is the baby’s name? (boy)
¿Cómo se llama la bebé? - What is the baby’s name? (girl)
Él se llama Juan. - His name is Juan.
Nosotras nos llamamos Victoria y Elena. - Our names are Victoria & Elena.
Nosotros nos llamamos Pedro y Juan. - Our names are Pedro & Juan.
Ellos se llaman Pedro y Juan. - Their names are Pedro and Juan.
¿Cómo se llama el museo? - What's the name of the museum?
El museo se llama "El Prado". - The museum is called "El Prado".

Sentences with lavarse
Yo me lavo la boca. - I rinse my mouth.
Me lavo la cara. - I wash my face.
Me lavo el pelo todos los dias. - I wash my hair every day.
Ellos se lavan las manos. - They wash their hands.
Nancy se lava el pelo. - Nancy washes her hair.
Los niños se lavan. - The children wash themselves.
Él se lava. - He washes himself.
Él se lava la cara. - He washes his face.
Nosotros nos lavamos los pies. - We wash our feet.
Ella se lava los brazos. - She washes her arms.

Sentences with levantarse

Me levanto a las cinco de la mañana. - I get up at 5am.
¿A que hora te levantas? - At what time do you get up?
¿Te levantas a las siete? - Do you get yourself up at seven o'clock?
Juan se levanta a las siete. - John gets himself up at seven o'clock.
Las muchachas se levantan temprano cada día. - The girls get themselves up early every day.
Isabel se levanta tarde. - Isabel gets up late.
Ella se levanta a las seis de la mañana. - She gets up at 6:00 AM
Ella se levanta de la silla. - She gets up from the chair.
Nosotros nos levantamos de la banca. - We get up from the bench.
Me levanto de la mesa. - I get up from the table.

Sentences with alegrarse
Me alegro por ti. - I am happy for you.
Me alegro de volver. - I am happy to return.
Me alegro de estar contigo. - I am happy to be with you.
Me alegro mucho de tu éxito. - I am happy for your success.
Me alegro de verte. - I am happy to see you.
¿Te alegras de verme? - Are you happy to see me?
¿No te alegras por mí? - Are you not happy for me?
El rey se alegra del triunfo. - The king is happy about the triumph.
Pedro se alegra de trabajar con Cristina. - Pedro is happy to work with Cristina.
Nosotros nos alegramos de ver a nuestros padres. - We are happy to see our parents.

Notes for the Tutor

  • The student should repeat these simple sentences to practice their understanding and better his or her pronunciation.
  • The student should make 10 sentences using the different reflexive verbs.

We have compiled an exhaustive Spanish verbs list for your review.



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