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🪞 Spanish Reflexive Verbs

Verbs where the subject does the action to themselves — pronouns, conjugation, and placement

A1 10 min read 4 sections

What Are Reflexive Verbs?

A reflexive verb describes an action that the subject performs on itself. In English we sometimes say "I wash myself" or "she dressed herself," but these constructions are optional. In Spanish, reflexive verbs are everywhere and the reflexive pronoun is mandatory. Reflexive verbs are listed in the dictionary with -se attached to the infinitive: lavarse (to wash oneself), vestirse (to get dressed), levantarse (to get up). The -se tells you the verb is reflexive.

Reflexive Pronoun	Used With	Example
me	yo	yo me lavo (I wash myself)
te	tú	tú te lavas (you wash yourself)
se	él / ella / usted	él se lava (he washes himself)
nos	nosotros / nosotras	nosotros nos lavamos (we wash ourselves)
se	ellos / ellas / ustedes	ellos se lavan (they wash themselves)

Tip: The reflexive pronoun always matches the subject. Think of it as a mirror — the action bounces back to the person doing it.

Conjugating Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs conjugate exactly like their non-reflexive counterparts — you just place the correct reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb. Here are two common reflexive verbs fully conjugated in the present tense. Notice that vestirse has an e→i stem change.

Person	lavarse (to wash oneself)	vestirse (to get dressed)
yo	me lavo	me visto
tú	te lavas	te vistes
él / ella / usted	se lava	se viste
nosotros / nosotras	nos lavamos	nos vestimos
ellos / ellas / ustedes	se lavan	se visten

Yo me lavo las manos antes de comer.I wash my hands before eating.

Tip: With reflexive verbs, Spanish uses the definite article (las manos) instead of a possessive (mis manos) for body parts and clothing. "Me lavo las manos" literally means "I wash myself the hands."

Common Reflexive Verbs

These 12 reflexive verbs are among the most frequently used in everyday Spanish. Many describe daily routines, making them essential for beginner conversation.

Verb	Meaning	Example
levantarse	to get up	Me levanto a las siete.
acostarse	to go to bed	Nos acostamos tarde.
despertarse	to wake up	Me despierto temprano.
ducharse	to shower	Ella se ducha por la mañana.
peinarse	to comb one's hair	Me peino antes de salir.
llamarse	to be called	Me llamo Carlos.
sentarse	to sit down	Siéntate aquí.
irse	to leave / to go away	Me voy a las ocho.
quedarse	to stay	Nos quedamos en casa.
sentirse	to feel	Me siento bien hoy.
divertirse	to have fun	Nos divertimos mucho.
preocuparse	to worry	No te preocupes.

Tip: Many of these verbs also exist without -se but with a different meaning. "Llamar" means "to call (someone)," but "llamarse" means "to be called / to call oneself." Always check whether the -se version changes the meaning.

Pronoun Placement

The reflexive pronoun can go in different positions depending on the verb form. With a conjugated verb, it goes before. With infinitives and gerunds, it can attach to the end or go before the helping verb. Both positions are equally correct and commonly used.

Situation	Option 1	Option 2
Conjugated verb	Me lavo. (before verb)	— (only option)
Infinitive	Quiero lavarme. (attached)	Me quiero lavar. (before helping verb)
Gerund (progressive)	Estoy lavándome. (attached)	Me estoy lavando. (before helping verb)
Affirmative command	¡Lávate! (attached)	— (only option)
Negative command	¡No te laves! (before verb)	— (only option)

Quiero ducharme. / Me quiero duchar.I want to shower. (both sentences mean exactly the same thing)

Tip: When the pronoun attaches to the end, you may need to add a written accent to maintain the original stress: lavando → lavándome, lava → lávate. This is a spelling rule, not a pronunciation change.

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🪞 Spanish Reflexive Verbs

What Are Reflexive Verbs?

Conjugating Reflexive Verbs

Common Reflexive Verbs

Pronoun Placement

Practice with Interactive Quizzes

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