1. The idea: the action comes back
A verb is reflexive when the person who does the action also receives it. English sometimes uses myself, yourself, but usually says nothing (I get up, I shower). Spanish always marks it with a reflexive pronoun, and the infinitive carries -se: levantarse, ducharse, vestirse.
Ana lava el coche.
The action goes to something else.Ana se lava.
The action comes back to Ana: she washes herself.| Person | Pronoun | levantarse | vestirse (e → i) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | me levanto | me visto |
| tú | te | te levantas | te vistes |
| él / ella / usted | se | se levanta | se viste |
| nosotros | nos | nos levantamos | nos vestimos |
| vosotros | os | os levantáis | os vestís |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se | se levantan | se visten |
The pronoun always matches the subject: yo → me, tú → te… Only the third person uses se — for él, ella, usted, ellos, ellas and ustedes. The verb conjugates as usual (with its stem change if it has one).
A day in the life — reflexive or not?
- 1Se despierta y se estira.wakes up and stretches
- 2Se rasura.shaves
- 3Se baña.showers
- 4Desayuna.has breakfast — no se: he eats the food
- 5Hace ejercicio.works out — no se
- 6Lee un libro.reads a book — no se
- 7Se viste.gets dressed (se abotona la camisa)
- 8Se va a clase.leaves for class — irse
- 9Se duerme.falls asleep — dormirse
Learn the daily-routine verbs
Open the drawer to study them with flashcards — tap a card to see its meaning and an example.
Daily routine verbsdespertarse, ducharse, vestirse, acostarse… 16 cards
2. Where the pronoun goes
Exactly the same rules as object pronouns:
Accents and small changes: attaching a pronoun can move the stress, so add an accent: sienta → siéntate, vistiendo → vistiéndose. With nosotros commands the final -s drops: sentemos + nos → sentémonos, vamos + nos → vámonos. With vosotros the -d drops: sentad + os → sentaos.
Two pronouns? The reflexive always goes first: Me lo pongo (I put it on), ¿Te las lavaste? (Did you wash them — your hands?), Pruébatela (Try it on).
3. Seven uses of reflexive pronouns
Not every reflexive verb means “to yourself”. These are the uses you'll meet every day:
The classic: daily routine and personal care.
Me despierto, me baño y me visto. I wake up, shower and get dressed.Use the article, not the possessive: the reflexive already says whose it is.
Me lavo las manos. Se puso la chamarra. I wash my hands. He put on his jacket.With plural subjects: nos, os, se = each other.
Ana y Luis se quieren mucho. Nos vemos mañana. Ana and Luis love each other. See you tomorrow.To get or become: enojarse, aburrirse, preocuparse, ponerse nervioso, volverse, hacerse.
Me enojé con mi hermano. Se puso nerviosa. I got angry with my brother. She got nervous.No non-reflexive version: quejarse, atreverse, arrepentirse, darse cuenta, burlarse.
No me di cuenta. ¿Te atreves? I didn't realize. Do you dare?With comer, beber, leer, ir… the pronoun adds “the whole thing” or a sense of departure.
Se comió toda la pizza. Me leí el libro en un día. He ate the whole pizza. I read the book in one day.Se + me/te/le… for accidents: it “happened to” you. See section 4.
Se me olvidaron las llaves. I forgot my keys (they slipped my mind).Not every se is reflexive. Se habla español (Spanish is spoken) and Se venden casas (Houses for sale) are impersonal / passive se; in Se lo di the se is just le in disguise (section 6). If you can't add a sí mismo or “each other”, look for one of these.
4. Se me olvidó: things that “just happen”
For accidents, Spanish makes the thing the subject and the person an indirect object — a polite way to say it wasn't on purpose. The verb agrees with the thing, not with the person.
| Verb | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| olvidar | Se me olvidó la cartera. / Se me olvidaron las llaves. | I forgot my wallet / my keys. |
| caer | A Pedro se le cayó el vaso. | Pedro dropped the glass. |
| romper | Se nos rompió la tele. | Our TV broke. |
| perder | ¿Se te perdió el celular? | Did you lose your phone? |
| acabar | Se les acabó la gasolina. | They ran out of gas. |
| ocurrir | Se me ocurrió una idea. | An idea occurred to me. |
5. Verbs that change meaning with se
Some verbs mean something different when you add the pronoun. They're among the most useful — and most confusing — verbs in Spanish. Open the drawer and flip the cards: without se on top, with se below.
Verbs that change meaningir → irse, dormir → dormirse, llamar → llamarse… 20 cards
| Without se | With se |
|---|---|
| Voy a la playa. I'm going to the beach. | Me voy de la fiesta. I'm leaving the party. |
| Duermo poco. I sleep little. | Me duermo en clase. I fall asleep in class. |
| Llamo a Luis. I call Luis. | Me llamo Luis. My name is Luis. |
| Quedamos a las 8. We arranged to meet at 8. | Me quedo en casa. I'm staying home. |
| Pongo la mesa. I set the table. | Me pongo triste. I get sad. |
| Parece difícil. It seems difficult. | Me parezco a mi mamá. I look like my mom. |
6. Reflexive or object pronoun?
Reflexive pronouns and object pronouns look alike and sit in the same place, so they're easy to mix up. One question solves it: is the receiver the same person as the subject?
Ana se baña.
Ana bathes herself.Ana se lava el pelo.
Ana washes her (own) hair.Ana la baña.
Ana bathes her (her daughter).Ana lo peina.
Ana combs him (her son).Ana le lava el pelo.
Ana washes his / her hair (someone else's).Ana le pone la chamarra.
Ana puts the jacket on him / her.| Person | Reflexive | Direct object | Indirect object |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | me | me |
| tú | te | te | te |
| él / ella / usted | se | lo / la | le |
| nosotros | nos | nos | nos |
| vosotros | os | os | os |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se | los / las | les |
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1
Me, te, nos, os: look at the verb
The form is identical, so the verb ending tells you. Me lavo (yo → me: I wash myself) vs. Me lava (ella → me: she washes me). Nos vemos (we see each other) vs. Nos ven (they see us).
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2
Third person: se or lo / la / le?
Add a sí mismo / a sí misma (or “each other”). If it makes sense, it's se. If the action goes to another person or thing, use lo, la (receives the action) or le (receives something).
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3
Watch out for the fake se
In Se lo di (I gave it to him), se is not reflexive: it's le turned into se before lo, la, los, las. The giver and the receiver are different people.
Want the full story on lo, la and le? See the bonus lesson Lo, la or le?
7. Practice · 60 exercises
Six sets, from the pronouns to meaning changes and accidents. Check each set when you finish — you can try again as often as you like.
1Me, te, se, nos or os?
Write the reflexive pronoun that matches the subject.
1.Yo ___ levanto a las siete.
2.¿A qué hora ___ acuestas?
3.Mis padres ___ despiertan muy temprano.
4.Nosotros ___ duchamos por la noche.
5.Mi hermana ___ maquilla en el coche.
6.¿Vosotros ___ aburrís en clase?
7.Usted ___ llama Sr. García, ¿verdad?
8.Yo nunca ___ quejo.
9.¿Cómo ___ llamas?
10.Ana y yo ___ vemos los viernes.
11.Los niños ___ ponen la pijama.
12.Tú ___ pareces mucho a tu abuela.
2Conjugate the reflexive verb
Write the pronoun and the verb. Use the present, or the preterite when there's a past marker (ayer, anoche…). Accents are optional.
1.Mi papá ___ (rasurarse) todos los días.
2.Yo ___ (vestirse) muy rápido.
3.¿Tú ___ (acostarse) tarde?
4.Nosotros ___ (despertarse) a las seis.
5.Ellos ___ (quejarse) de todo.
6.Ayer yo ___ (dormirse) en el autobús.
7.Anoche Ana ___ (irse) temprano.
8.¿Ustedes ___ (divertirse) en la fiesta ayer?
9.Vosotros siempre ___ (sentarse) atrás.
10.El año pasado mi hermana y su novio ___ (casarse).
3Where does the pronoun go?
Choose the sentence with the pronoun in the right place.
1.Which is correct?
2.Which is correct?
3.Which is correct?
4.Which is correct?
5.Which is correct?
6.Which is correct?
7.Which is correct?
8.Which is correct?
4With or without se?
The meaning decides. Check the flashcards in section 5 if you need them.
1.Ya es tarde, ___. ¡Adiós!
2.Hola, ___ Laura. ¿Y tú?
3.Esta noche ___ en casa; estoy cansado.
4.Siempre ___ en las películas largas.
5.No ___ de su número de teléfono.
6.La empresa ___ a veinte empleados.
7.Ana ___ mucho a su mamá: tienen los mismos ojos.
8.¿Puedo ___ estos pantalones?
9.Después de muchos años de estudio, mi hermano ___ abogado.
10.___ mis llaves debajo del sofá.
11.Cuando vio a su ex, Pablo ___ rojo.
12.Yo ___ muy bien con mis compañeros de trabajo.
5Reflexive or object pronoun?
Same person → se. Someone else → lo / la (receives the action) or le (receives something).
1.Ana ___ peina antes de salir.
2.Ana peina a su hija. → Ana ___ peina.
3.El papá baña al bebé. → El papá ___ baña.
4.Luis ___ baña por la noche.
5.La enfermera ___ lava las manos al paciente.
6.La enfermera ___ lava las manos antes de operar.
7.Mis hijos ya ___ visten solos.
8.Yo visto a mis hijos. → Yo ___ visto.
9.¿El regalo? Ya ___ di a Marta.
10.María y Pedro ___ escriben cartas cada semana.
11.Pedro ___ escribe cartas a María.
12.¿Me ves? — Sí, ___ veo.
6Things that just happen
Use se + me / te / le / nos / les + the verb in the preterite. The verb agrees with the thing.
1.A mí ___ (olvidar) las llaves.
2.A Pedro ___ (caer) el vaso.
3.A nosotros ___ (acabar) la leche.
4.¿A ti ___ (perder) el celular otra vez?
5.A los niños ___ (romper) la ventana.
6.A mí ___ (ocurrir) una idea genial.
Keep practicing
Want them to come out naturally?
Book a class with Ángel and practise reflexive verbs in real conversation — your routine, your plans and everything that “just happened”.