Spanish Reflexive Verbs: How to Use Reflexive Verbs in Spanish Naturally

If you're learning Spanish, you've probably noticed verbs like "levantarse" or "llamarse" with that weird "se" stuck on the end. These are reflexive verbs, and they're everywhere in everyday Spanish conversation. They seem complicated at first, but the rules are actually pretty straightforward. Let's break down everything you need to know about Spanish reflexive verbs so you can start using them naturally.

What are reflexive verbs in Spanish

The person doing the action is also receiving it. In English, we sometimes use words like "myself," "yourself," or "himself" to show this, but in Spanish, every reflexive verb comes with a special pronoun that matches the subject.

Here's a simple example: "lavarse" means "to wash oneself." When you say "Me lavo," you're saying "I wash myself." The "me" is the reflexive pronoun that shows you're doing the action to yourself.

The thing that makes Spanish different from English is that you'll use reflexive verbs way more often. Actions that sound totally normal in English without any "self" language often require reflexive verbs in Spanish. When you wake up, get dressed, or sit down, Spanish treats these as reflexive actions.

Understanding reflexive pronouns in Spanish

These pronouns change based on who's doing the action, and they always go right before the conjugated verb (Or attached to infinitives and gerunds, but we'll get to that).

Here are the Spanish reflexive pronouns:

Notice that "se" does a lot of work. It covers he, she, you (Formal), and they. Context usually makes it clear which one you mean.

When you conjugate a reflexive verb, you match the pronoun to the subject. Let's look at "lavarse" (To wash oneself) in present tense:

The verb conjugates normally (lavo, lavas, lava), but you add the matching pronoun before it. That's the basic pattern for every reflexive verb in Spanish.

How to conjugate a reflexive verb in Spanish language

Conjugating reflexive verbs follows the same rules as regular verbs, plus the reflexive pronoun. If the verb has stem changes, those still apply. If it's irregular, it stays irregular. The reflexive part just adds the pronoun.

Let's take "vestirse" (To get dressed), which has an e to i stem change:

The stem change happens in the same places it would for any e to i verb. The reflexive pronoun doesn't change that.

For "acostarse" (To go to bed), which has an o to ue stem change:

When you're using the infinitive form, the pronoun attaches to the end: "Voy a ducharme" (I'm going to shower). When you're using the gerund form, same thing: "Estoy duchándome" (I'm showering). You can also put the pronoun before the helping verb: "Me voy a duchar" or "Me estoy duchando." Both ways work fine.

Different types of Spanish reflexive verbs

Not all reflexive verbs work the same way. Spanish has a few different categories, and understanding them helps you know when to use "se" and when not to.

Some verbs change meaning completely when you make them reflexive. "Dormir" means "to sleep," but "dormirse" means "to fall asleep." "Ir" means "to go," but "irse" means "to leave" or "go away." "Poner" means "to put," but "ponerse" can mean "to put on" (Clothing) or "to become" (An emotion or state).

How to know if it's reflexive or not

This trips people up. How do you know when to use the reflexive form?

The basic test: ask yourself if the subject is doing the action to themselves. If yes, use the reflexive.

"Lavo el carro" (I wash the car) versus "Me lavo" (I wash myself). In the first sentence, the car is the object. In the second, you are both subject and object.

For daily routine verbs, Spanish almost always uses reflexive forms. Getting up, going to bed, getting ready, sitting down - these default to reflexive in Spanish even when English doesn't emphasize the "self" part.

Some verbs you just have to learn as reflexive. "Llamarse" for your name is always reflexive. You say "Me llamo Maria" (I call myself Maria), not "Llamo Maria." There's no logic trick here, that's just how Spanish handles names.

When you see a verb with "se" attached in the dictionary (like "levantarse"), that tells you it's reflexive. You'll conjugate it with the reflexive pronouns.

Using reflexive verbs in commands

Commands with reflexive verbs work a bit differently.

You'll notice accent marks pop up when you attach pronouns to commands. That's to keep the stress on the right syllable. "Levantate" needs the accent on the "a" so you don't stress the "ta" instead.

Common reflexive verbs you'll use constantly

Some reflexive verbs pop up in daily conversation all the time. If you're talking about your routine, you'll probably use at least five or six of these before lunch.

Here are the most common reflexive verbs:

Let's see these in action. If you're describing your morning, you might say: "Me despierto a las siete, me levanto, me ducho, y me visto." (I wake up at seven, I get up, I shower, and I get dressed.)

Notice how natural these feel in Spanish even though we don't always say "myself" in English for these actions. You wouldn't say "I wake myself up" in English, but in Spanish, "despertarse" is reflexive.

How to use reflexive verbs in sentences

Let's look at how these work in actual sentences you'd use.

These examples show how reflexive verbs fit into normal Spanish grammar. Once you get comfortable with the pronouns and conjugation patterns, they become automatic.

Practice makes progress

The best way to get good with reflexive verbs is to use them.

If you want to actually practice these reflexive verbs with real Spanish content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words and grammar instantly while watching shows or reading articles. You'll see reflexive verbs in context and can save examples that actually matter to you. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

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You can't skip the reflexive Spanish verbs...

They're fundamental to everyday Spanish. You can't talk about your morning routine, your feelings, or tons of common actions without them. The good news is the pattern stays consistent. Pronoun plus conjugated verb. Match the pronoun to the subject. Follow the same conjugation rules as non-reflexive verbs. Once you've got that down, you can apply it to any reflexive verb you learn, and let immersion take that fluency to the next level.

For a goal worth achieving, there's no shortcut.