Reflexive Verbs: An Introduction Spanish for Beginners

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Reflexive Verbs An Introduction Spanish for
Beginners
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An example of a simple sentence using a reflexive
verb is "Pedro se lava." (Pedro is washing
himself). In that sentence Pedro is both the
subject (the one doing the washing) and the
object (the person begin washed).
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Note that the reflexive pronoun (in this case se)
typically precedes the verb (although it can be
attached to infinitives). Other Reflexive
Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns
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A full explanation of all the uses of reflexive
verbs is beyond the scope of this lesson.
However, as a beginner you should have at least a
basic understanding of the ways reflexive verbs
are used so you can understand them when you see
or hear them. Here are the main ways such verbs
are used
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As in the example above, this is the most
straightforward use of reflexive verbs, and it is
certainly the most common way they are used in
English. As explained in the lesson on reflexive
pronouns, in plural form the pronoun can often be
translated as "themselves" or "each other,"
depending on the context.
The verb's subject is acting on itself
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Puedo verme en el espejo. (I can see myself in
the mirror.) Qué te compraste? (What did you
buy yourself?) Se estaban admirando. (They were
admiring themselves. Or, they were admiring each
other.) Pablo se habla. (Pablo talks to
himself.)
Examples
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A number of Spanish verbs make perfect sense when
understood in a reflexive way, but we typically
don't translate them that way into English. For
example, levantar means "to lift," while its
reflexive counterpart, levantarse, could be
understood to mean "to lift oneself," but is
usually translated as "to get up."
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Quiero bañarme. (I want to take a bath.
Literally, I want to bathe myself.)
Examples
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Sientate! (Sit down! Literally, seat yourself!)
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Voy a vestirme. (I am going to get dressed.
Literally, I am going to dress myself.)
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Me afeito cada mañana. (I shave every morning.
Literally, I shave myself every morning.)
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Llamó Eva? (Did Eva call?) Se llama Eva.
(Her name is Eva. Literally, she calls herself
Eva.)
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Making a verb reflexive can change its meaning in
ways that aren't always predictable. Sometimes
the difference in meaning is subtle. Following
are some common examples not all possible
meanings of the verbs are included.
Verbs used reflexively with a change in meaning
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abrir, to open abrirse, to open up (in the
sense of confiding in someone)
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acordar, to agree, to decide acordarse, to
remember
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acusar, to accuse acusarse, to confess
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callar, to be quiet callarse, to become quiet
(cállate shut up)
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cerrar, to close cerrarse, to close oneself off
emotionally
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dormir, to sleep dormirse, to fall asleep
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ir, to go irse, to go away
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llevar, to carry llevarse, to take away
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poner, to put ponerse, to put on, to wear
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salir, to leave salirse, to leave unexpectedly,
to leak
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Some verbs can be used reflexively to add
emphasis. The distinction isn't always readily
translated to English.
Adding emphasis with reflexive verbs
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Comí la hamburguesa," means "I ate the
hamburger," but the reflexive form, Me comí la
hamburguesa," could be translated the same way,
or perhaps as "I ate up the hamburger" or "I ate
the whole hamburger."
For example
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Piénsalo," might be translated as Think about
it," whereas Piénsatelo," might be translated
the same way or as Think about it thoroughly."
Similarly
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Often, particularly with inanimate objects, the
reflexive form is used to indicate an occurrence
without indicating the person or thing
responsible for that occurrence.
The "reflexive passive"
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Such uses of the reflexive are typically the
equivalent of passive verb forms in English, as
in the following examples
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Se cerraron las puertas. (The doors were closed.)
Se habla español aquí. (Spanish is spoken here.)
Se venden recuerdos. (Souvenirs are sold, or
souvenirs for sale.)
Examples
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Emotional reactions are often indicated by
reflexive verb forms. For example, enojar means
"to anger." In the reflexive form, enojarse means
"to become angry" or "to be (get) angry."
Reflexive forms to indicate emotional reaction
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aburrirse, "to be bored" alegrarse, "to be
happy" dolerse, "to be hurt"
Among the many verbs used in such a way are
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emocionarse, "to be excited" horrizarse, "to be
horrified" and sorprenderse, "to be surprised."
ALSO