Reflexive Pronouns
Learn me, te, se, nos, os, se and their placement before conjugated verbs or attached to infinitives.
A lesson of Spanish A2 — Elementary, in Reflexive Verbs, about 10 minutes.
Reflexive Pronouns (Los Pronombres Reflexivos)
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify reflexive verbs, use the correct reflexive pronoun for each grammatical person, and place pronouns correctly in a sentence.
What Makes a Verb Reflexive
A reflexive verb is one where the subject performs the action on itself. In Spanish, reflexive verbs are signaled by the pronoun -se attached to the infinitive:
- lavar (to wash something) → lavarse (to wash oneself)
- preparar (to prepare something) → prepararse (to get oneself ready)
- levantar (to raise/lift something) → levantarse (to get oneself up)
Removing the -se and adding the correct reflexive pronoun before the verb is how reflexives work in conjugated sentences.
The Six Reflexive Pronouns
| Person | Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | myself |
| tú | te | yourself |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | himself / herself / yourself (formal) |
| nosotros | nos | ourselves |
| vosotros | os | yourselves |
| ellos/Uds. | se | themselves / yourselves |
Conjugating a Reflexive Verb
Take levantarse (to get up) in the present tense:
| Person | Pronoun + verb |
|---|---|
| yo | me levanto |
| tú | te levantas |
| él/ella/Ud. | se levanta |
| nosotros | nos levantamos |
| vosotros | os levantáis |
| ellos/Uds. | se levantan |
The verb conjugates normally (as if it were levantar); the reflexive pronoun always matches the subject.