A Definitive Guide on When to Use Reflexive Verbs in Spanish

In every Spanish journey, learners reach a point of asking when to use reflexive verbs.

You’ve already conquered the use of regular verbs and now you’re ready to learn the definition and usage of reflexive verbs. 

More than likely, you’ve used already used reflexive verbs before, especially each time you’ve answered the question:

¿Cómo te llamas?

In the response “me llamo [your name],” you’re using the reflexive verb llamarse. 

What is a Reflexive Verb?

To put it briefly, a reflexive verb is a verb that performs an action upon itself. It always accompanies a reflexive pronoun which receives the action. 

In grammatical terms, the subject of the verb (subject pronoun) and the direct object of the verb (reflexive pronoun) are the same person. 

You can easily identify reflexive verbs in their infinitive form by the reflexive pronoun attached to the ending: -se. 

Look at these examples:

• Bañarse – to shower
• Vestirse – to get dressed
• Conocerse – to know each other

As with any Spanish conjugation, the ending changes to properly modify the subject. In this case, the reflexive pronoun changes as well.

Here are the 6 reflexive pronouns to memorize:

Subject Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun
Yo	Me
Tú	Te
Él/Ella	Se
Nosotros	Nos
Ustedes	Se
Ellos/Ellas	Se

Placement of Reflexive Pronoun

Usually the reflexive pronoun goes before the verb, but this is not always the case, as we will explore below. 

Reflexive Pronoun Goes Before the Verb

Affirmations

Te bañas en las mañanas.
You shower in the mornings.

Nos conocemos bastante bien.
We know each other pretty well.

Negative Commands

No te levantes tarde.
Don’t wake up late.

No se bañen en la noche.
Don’t shower at night.

Hand-picked for you: How to Form Negative Commands in Spanish

Reflexive Pronoun Goes After the Verb

Affirmative Commands

¡Bañate ya!
Take a shower now!

Hand-picked for you: How to Form Affirmative Commands in Spanish

You Choose Placement of the Reflexive Pronoun

Progressive Tenses: -ando, -iendo

¿Estabas bañándote cuando te llamé?
Were you showering when I called you?

OR

¿Te estabas bañando cuando te llamé?
Were you showering when I called you?

To learn more details about the proper use of reflexive pronouns, check out The Key to Reflexive Pronouns in Spanish.

When to Use Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs are more common in Spanish than in English. In fact, many are used in everyday language! 

In order to fully understand when to use reflexive verbs, it’s necessary to know the 3 different types:

1. Natural reflexives have permanent reflexive pronouns attached to the verb.
2. Reciprocal reflexives express the idea of reciprocity.
3. Non-reflexives show that the action is being performed on another subject.

Let’s have a look at each of these and some examples so you can master when to use reflexive verbs in Spanish. 

1. Natural Reflexive Verbs

Natural reflexive verbs are either natural in the obvious performance of an action upon itself (banarse means “take bath oneself”) or natural in the sense that the reflexive pronoun is a permanent fixture of the verb itself.

In other words, two categories of natural reflexive verbs exist:

• The verb naturally performs the action upon itself
• The verb doesn’t make sense without the reflexive pronoun

1. Naturally Reflexive Routine Verbs

This collection of natural reflexive verbs are often referred to as “routine verbs” because you’ll use them when you’re talking about daily actions, routines, and personal care. 

Spanish	English
Acostarse	To go to bed/to lay down
Bañarse	To shower
Cepillarse	To brush
Dormirse	To sleep
Lavarse	To wash up
Maquillarse	To put make-up on
Peinarse	To brush your hair

Me acuesto temprano todas las noches.
I go to bed early every night.

Ella se baña en las mañanas.
She showers in the morning.

Usted se cepilla los dientes.
You brush your teeth.

Ellos se duermen viendo el documental.
They fall asleep watching the documentary.

Él se lava las manos.
He washes his hands.

Ellas se maquillan todos los días.
They put make-up on every day.

Nosotros nos peinamos.
We brush our hair.

Each one of the verbs in the chart above can also be non-reflexive verbs, where the action of the verb is performed on another object. I’ll explore this below in more detail in #3.

2. Permanent Reflexive Pronoun

These verbs make use of a permanently fixed reflexive pronoun. Without the reflexive pronouns, the verbs will make no sense.

Spanish	English
Arrepentirse	To regret
Adueñarse	To take ownership
Atreverse	To dare
Burlarse	To mock/make fun of
Caerse	To fall
Casarse	To marry
Divertirse	To have fun
Enterarse	To find out
Imaginarse	To imagine
Morirse	To die
Portarse	To behave
Preocuparse	To worry
Quedarse	To stay
Quitarse	To take off
Reírse	To laugh
Sentarse	To sit down

Yo me arrepiento de mis errores.
I regret my mistakes.

Tú te casas con tu mejor amigo.
You marry your best friend.

Usted se sienta en la silla.
You sit down on the chair.

Ella se quita la chaqueta.
She takes off her jacket.

2. Reciprocal Reflexives

A reciprocal verb expresses the idea of reciprocity—that is, doing something to or for one other. The plural Spanish pronouns ustedes, ellos/ellas, and nosotros with their reflexive pronouns se and nos express this idea.

Common Reciprocal Reflexive Verbs

Spanish	English
Amarse	To love each other
Ayudarse	To help each other
Despedirse	To say goodbye to each other
Escribirse	To write to each other
Llamarse	To call each other
Mirarse	To look at each other
Sorprenderse	To surprise each other

Example Sentences

Now let’s see some of these common reciprocal reflexive verbs in action.

Ellos se aman.
They love each other.

Ustedes se ayudan mutuamente.
You help each other.

Ellas se ayudan en clase.
They help each other in class.

Ellos se despiden.
They say goodbye to each other. 

Ustedes se escriben cartas.
You write letters to each other.

Nosotros nos llamamos todas las noches.
We call each other every night.

Ellos se miran todos los días.
They look at each other every day.

Nosotros nos sorprendemos con regalos.
We surprise each other with gifts.

3. Non-reflexive Verbs

Non-reflexive verbs are verbs whose action is performed on another subject. In this section, we will explore:

• Non-reflexive verbs
• When non-reflexive verbs become reflexive

Non-reflexive verbs naturally do not make use of reflexive pronouns. However, when you add a reflexive pronoun and this verb becomes a reflexive verb, you will see that the meaning changes.

Pay extra attention to the change in meaning when non-reflexive verbs become reflexive so that you’re aware of what you’re saying!

Let me show you these verbs. Take a look at the Spanish Non-Reflexive chart below to see a list of verbs that don’t use a reflexive pronoun. In the second chart, you’ll see the same verbs that are turned reflexive and their meaning has changed.

Spanish Non-Reflexive	English Translation
Aburrir	To bore
Ir	To go
Levantar	To pick up
Llamar	To call
Perder	To lose
Retirar	To remove
Reunir	To collect
Volver	To return

Spanish Reflexive	English
Aburrirse	To get bored
Irse	To leave
Levantarse	To get up
Llamarse	To be called/named
Perderse	To get lost
Retirarse	To back out or retire
Reunirse	To gather
Volverse	To become/to turn into

Example Sentences: Non-Reflexive Verbs vs Reflexive Verbs

Non-Reflexive: volver
Ella volvió a España.
She returned to Spain.

Reflexive: volverse
La oruga se volvió una mariposa.
The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.

Non-Reflexive: aburrir
Esta película va a aburrir a todos.
This movie will bore everyone.

Reflexive: aburrirse
Ustedes se aburren con la película.
They get bored.

Non-Reflexive: levantar
Yo levanto el libro.
I pick up the book.

Reflexive: levantarse
Él se levanta temprano.
He gets up early.

Non-Reflexive: llamar
Ella llama a su abuela.
She calls her grandmother.

Reflexive: llamarse
Yo me llamo Isabella.
I’m called Isabella.

Non-Reflexive: perder
Él perdió mucho dinero.
He lost a lot of money.

Reflexive: perderse
Él se pierde en el supermercado.
He gets lost in the supermarket.

Non-Reflexive: retirar
Ellos retiran dinero del banco.
They withdraw money from the bank.

Reflexive: retirarse
Nosotros nos retiramos de la situación.
We back out of the situation.

Non-Reflexive: reunir
Ella reune monedas.
She collects coins.

Reflexive: reunirse
Ellos se reúnen en el restaurante.
They gather at the restaurant.

Talking About Emotions: Reflexive and Non-Reflexive Spanish Verbs

What about emotions? You may be wondering when to use reflexive verbs in order to express emotions. Here is a list of reflexive verbs that refer to emotions.

Spanish	English
Alegrarse	To be happy
Asustarse	To get scared
Cansarse	To get tired
Divertirse	To have fun

Ella se alegra de ver a su hermano.
She is happy to see her brother.

Nosotros nos asustamos fácilmente.
We get scared easily.

Ustedes se cansan de correr.
You get tired of running.

Ellos se divierten juntos.
They have fun together.

Time to Practice! 

Now that you’ve learned when to use reflexive verbs in Spanish, it is time to put them into practice. Your next step is to learn how to use reflexive verbs in a conversation. If you’re ready to put your skills to the test, encourage yourself to practice with a native Spanish-speaking teacher! By signing up for a free trial class with us at Homeschool Spanish Academy, you’ll experience a 1-on-1, conversational-style Spanish class with one of our certified Spanish teachers from Guatemala. Our teachers are friendly, engaging, and know how to enhance your fluency by starting at your level.

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