What reflexive means
A reflexive verb points the action back at the subject. Lavar is to wash something; lavarse is to wash yourself. The -se on the infinitive is the flag.
Spanish uses reflexives constantly for daily routine: waking, showering, dressing, going to bed. English hides most of this ('I shower'), so the pronoun feels extra at first. Treat it as part of the verb and it becomes automatic fast.
The reflexive pronouns with levantarse
| Person | Pronoun | levantarse (to get up) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | me levanto |
| tú | te | te levantas |
| él / ella / usted | se | se levanta |
| nosotros | nos | nos levantamos |
| vosotros | os | os levantáis |
| ellos / ustedes | se | se levantan |
| Me levanto a las siete todos los dÃas. | I get up at seven every day. |
| ¿A qué hora te levantas los domingos? | What time do you get up on Sundays? |
A day in reflexive verbs
- despertarse (to wake up), levantarse (to get up), ducharse (to shower)
- lavarse los dientes (to brush your teeth), afeitarse (to shave), peinarse (to comb your hair)
- vestirse (to get dressed), maquillarse (to put on makeup)
- acostarse (to go to bed), dormirse (to fall asleep)
| Mi padre se ducha y se afeita por la mañana. | My father showers and shaves in the morning. |
| Los niños se visten solos. | The children dress themselves. |
| Nos acostamos tarde los sábados. | We go to bed late on Saturdays. |
Stem changers hide in the routine
Several routine verbs are stem-changing in the present. The change hits every form except nosotros and vosotros.
- despertarse (e to ie): me despierto, te despiertas... nosotros nos despertamos.
- acostarse (o to ue): me acuesto, te acuestas... nosotros nos acostamos.
- dormirse (o to ue): me duermo... nosotros nos dormimos.
- vestirse (e to i): me visto, te vistes... nosotros nos vestimos.
| Me despierto a las seis, pero no me levanto hasta las seis y media. | I wake up at six, but I do not get up until six thirty. despertarse changes e to ie; levantarse is regular |
| El bebé se duerme en el coche. | The baby falls asleep in the car. dormirse, o to ue |
The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the original stem: me acuesto but nos acostamos. If you remember one exception pair, remember this one.
Where the pronoun goes
With a conjugated verb, the pronoun goes in front: me ducho. With an infinitive, you have two equal options: attach it (voy a ducharme) or move it before the conjugated verb (me voy a duchar). Both are correct and common.
The pronoun must match the subject even on the infinitive: voy a levantarme, vas a levantarte. A frozen 'levantarse' with every subject is a classic learner error.
| Voy a acostarme temprano esta noche. | I am going to bed early tonight. pronoun attached to the infinitive, matching yo |
| ¿Te vas a duchar ahora? | Are you going to shower now? pronoun moved before the conjugated verb |
Reflexive or not?
Many verbs live both lives. Lavar el coche is washing the car; lavarse las manos is washing your own hands. Despertar al bebé is waking the baby; despertarse is waking up yourself.
With body parts, use the definite article, never a possessive: me lavo las manos, se cepilla los dientes. The reflexive pronoun already marks the owner.
| Lavo el coche el sábado y luego me lavo las manos. | I wash the car on Saturday and then I wash my hands. same verb, with and without the reflexive |
Pronunciation corner
Routine verbs come out in fast chains every morning. Practice these until they roll.
| me levanto | [me leˈβanto] | meh leh-BAHN-to; the v is a soft b sound |
| se ducha | [se ˈdutʃa] | seh DOO-cha; ch exactly as in 'cheese' |
| me despierto | [me desˈpjeɾto] | meh des-PYER-to; ie glides into one syllable |
| me acuesto | [me aˈkwesto] | meh ah-KWES-to; ue sounds like 'we' |
Practice drill
Conjugate the reflexive verb in parentheses, or fill in the correct form where a blank appears.
Yo ___ (levantarse) a las siete.Show answer
me levanto
¿A qué hora ___ (acostarse, tú)?Show answer
te acuestaso to ue in the tú form
Mi padre ___ (ducharse) por la noche.Show answer
se ducha
Nosotros ___ (despertarse) temprano.Show answer
nos despertamosno stem change in the nosotros form
Los niños ___ (vestirse) solos.Show answer
se vistene to i
Voy a ___ (acostarse) temprano.Show answer
acostarmeattached pronoun matches yo
Ella ___ (lavarse) las manos antes de comer.Show answer
se lava
Yo ___ (lavarse) el pelo por la mañana.Show answer
me lavodefinite article el pelo, never mi pelo
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a Spanish verb is reflexive?
The dictionary form ends in -se: levantarse, ducharse, acostarse. Many verbs exist in both versions, so check the meaning: lavar (to wash something) vs lavarse (to wash yourself). If the subject performs the action on itself, you need the reflexive form and its pronoun.
Where does the reflexive pronoun go with 'voy a' and similar phrases?
Two correct spots: attached to the infinitive (voy a levantarme) or before the conjugated verb (me voy a levantar). Meaning is identical. The only wrong options are dropping the pronoun or leaving it in the -se dictionary form regardless of subject.
Why is it 'me lavo las manos' and not 'me lavo mis manos'?
With body parts and clothing, Spanish uses the definite article because the reflexive pronoun already identifies the owner. Me lavo las manos, se pone la chaqueta. Adding a possessive sounds redundant to native ears.
What is the difference between dormir and dormirse?
Dormir is to sleep, the state: duermo ocho horas. Dormirse is to fall asleep, the transition: me duermo a las once. The same contrast appears in ir (to go) vs irse (to leave) and quedar (to arrange to meet) vs quedarse (to stay).