Lesson 18: Reflexive verbs. Daily routine

Part 1: What a reflexive verb is

A reflexive verb is one whose action comes back on the doer. English handles this with "myself / yourself / himself…" — but English uses these words sparingly. We say "I wash" and "I get dressed" with no pronoun at all. Spanish does the opposite: it marks dozens of everyday verbs as reflexive, and you'll hear me lavo, te duchas, se viste literally every time someone describes their morning.

Non-reflexive	Reflexive
lavar — to wash (someone/something)	lavarse — to wash oneself
despertar — to wake (someone up)	despertarse — to wake up
llamar — to call (someone)	llamarse — to be called (named)

The clue: the infinitive ends in -se: levantarse, ducharse, acostarse. That -se is the same pronoun that goes with él / ella / usted / ellos, just hooked onto the end of the infinitive. Don't try to translate me lavo as "I wash myself" — that sounds odd in English. Translate it as plain "I wash (up)". The Spanish me simply marks that the action loops back on the speaker.

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Part 2: The reflexive pronoun set

Person	Pronoun
yo	me
tú	te
él / ella / usted	se
nosotros / nosotras	nos
vosotros / vosotras	os
ellos / ellas / ustedes	se

Note: me, te, nos, os are the same forms you already learned as direct and indirect object pronouns in Lessons 15–16. Only the third person changes: instead of lo/la/le/les, the reflexive uses se — and it's the same se for singular and plural.

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Part 3: Conjugating a reflexive verb — levantarse (to get up)

Step 1: strip the -se off the infinitive → you get a normal verb (levantar). Step 2: conjugate it like any -ar verb. Step 3: put the matching reflexive pronoun in front.

Person	Form	English
yo	me levanto	I get up
tú	te levantas	you get up
él / ella / usted	se levanta	he/she gets up / you (formal) get up
nosotros	nos levantamos	we get up
vosotros	os levantáis	you (pl.) get up
ellos / ellas / ustedes	se levantan	they get up / you (pl. formal) get up

Pattern: [me/te/se/nos/os/se] + the normal personal form. Reflexivity doesn't change the verb ending — it only adds the pronoun on the left.

With stem changes — same rules as Lesson 11

The stem change works exactly the same way as in regular stem-changing verbs. The reflexive marker doesn't touch the verb form itself — it just adds the pronoun on the side.

despertarse (e → ie)	acostarse (o → ue)
me despierto	me acuesto
te despiertas	te acuestas
se despierta	se acuesta
nos despertamos	nos acostamos
os despertáis	os acostáis
se despiertan	se acuestan

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Part 4: Where to place the pronoun

The rule is the same as for direct and indirect objects in Lessons 15–17. The reflexive is just one more clitic pronoun.

1. Before the conjugated verb — the default:

Me levanto a las siete. — I get up at seven. Mi hermano se ducha por la mañana. — My brother showers in the morning.

2. Attached to an infinitive — written as one word; or move forward (both correct):

Quiero levantarme temprano. = Me quiero levantar temprano. Voy a ducharme. = Me voy a duchar.

3. Attached to a gerund — with a written accent (otherwise the stress would slide):

Estoy duchándome. = Me estoy duchando. — I'm showering right now.

4. Attached to an affirmative command — with an accent; before a negative command:

¡Levántate! — Get up! ¡Lávate las manos! — Wash your hands! ¡No te acuestes tarde! — Don't go to bed late!

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Part 5: Meaning shifts when you add se

This is the part to take seriously. Many verbs exist in two flavours: plain and reflexive — and the reflexive version is often not just "the same thing but on yourself". It's a separate dictionary entry with its own translation. Learn these as pairs.

Plain	Meaning	Reflexive	Meaning
ir	to go (somewhere)	irse	to leave, go away
dormir	to sleep	dormirse	to fall asleep
comer	to eat	comerse	to eat up (finish off)
llamar	to call	llamarse	to be called / named
poner	to put, place	ponerse	to put on (clothes); to become
quitar	to remove, take away	quitarse	to take off (clothes)
levantar	to lift, raise	levantarse	to get up
acostar	to put (someone) to bed	acostarse	to go to bed
despertar	to wake (someone) up	despertarse	to wake up
sentar	to seat (someone)	sentarse	to sit down
vestir	to dress (someone)	vestirse	to get dressed
quedar	to remain; to meet up	quedarse	to stay

The three you must internalize

Voy a casa. — I'm going home. → Me voy a casa. — I'm leaving / heading home. El niño duerme. — The child is sleeping. → El niño se duerme. — The child is falling asleep. Como una manzana. — I'm eating an apple. → Me como una manzana. — I'm eating the whole apple up.

A few more pair examples:

Llamo a María. — I'm calling María. → Me llamo María. — My name is María. Pongo el libro en la mesa. — I'm putting the book on the table. → Me pongo la chaqueta. — I'm putting on my jacket. Quedamos a las ocho. — We're meeting up at eight. → Me quedo en casa. — I'm staying home.

Bottom line: the reflexive form is a separate word in the dictionary. Irse is not "to go oneself" — it's "to leave". Learn them in pairs.

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Part 6: Reciprocal use — "each other"

When the subject is plural, the reflexive pronoun (nos / os / se) can mean "each other" instead of "ourselves / yourselves / themselves".

Se quieren. — They love each other. Nos vemos mañana. — We'll see each other tomorrow. (= "See you tomorrow!") ¿Os conocéis? — Do you (pl.) know each other? Los hermanos se ayudan. — The siblings help each other.

Context tells you which reading is meant. Se miran can be "they look at themselves" (in mirrors) or "they look at each other" (face to face) — usually obvious from the situation.

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Part 7: Body parts and clothing — use the article, not "my"

This is a high-frequency English speaker mistake. In English we say "I wash my hands" / "I'm putting on my jacket". In Spanish you use the definite article, not a possessive:

Me lavo las manos. (not mis manos) — I wash my hands. Me pongo la chaqueta. (not mi chaqueta) — I put on my jacket. Me lavo los dientes. — I brush my teeth. Me quito los zapatos. — I take off my shoes. Se rompió el brazo. — He broke his arm.

The reflexive pronoun already tells you whose body / clothes you're talking about. Saying "mis manos" on top of that is redundant — like English "I washed me my own hands". Don't do it.

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Part 8: Daily routine — a typical scene

Reflexive verbs are the backbone of describing a daily routine. Here's "morning in the family", and then the mirror scene at night.

Me despierto a las siete. Me levanto a las siete y cuarto. Me ducho con agua caliente. Me lavo los dientes. Me peino delante del espejo. Me afeito todos los días. Me visto rápido. Me pongo los zapatos. Desayuno con mi familia. Me voy al trabajo a las ocho.

Vuelvo a casa a las seis. Me quito los zapatos. Me siento en el sofá. Ceno con mi familia. Me lavo la cara. Me acuesto a las once. Me duermo enseguida.

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