A reflexive verb is one where the subject performs the action on itself — the doer and the receiver are the same person.
Type
Example
Non-reflexive
I wash the car. (action goes to something else)
Reflexive
I wash myself. (action comes back to the subject)
English reflexive pronouns
Subject
Reflexive pronoun
I
myself
you
yourself
he
himself
she
herself
it
itself
we
ourselves
they
themselves
Examples (English)
Sentence
Reflexive pronoun
I hurt myself.
myself
She talks to herself.
herself
They introduced themselves.
themselves
He cut himself shaving.
himself
We enjoyed ourselves.
ourselves
Did you burn yourself?
yourself
The cat cleaned itself.
itself
I caught myself yawning.
myself
Behave yourself.
yourself
They blamed themselves.
themselves
Why it works this way
English marks reflexivity only when needed for clarity or emphasis — many self-directed actions (“I wake up”, “I get dressed”) don’t use a reflexive pronoun at all
Reflexive pronouns are optional add-ons, not part of how the verb conjugates
How Spanish handles reflexive verbs differently
Spanish marks reflexivity on the verb itself — the infinitive ends in -se (levantarse, llamarse)
Many everyday actions that are not reflexive in English are reflexive in Spanish: waking up, getting dressed, going to bed, being named
The reflexive pronoun is mandatory, not optional, and goes before the conjugated verb (same placement rule as object pronouns — see Object Pronouns)
Conjugation of the verb itself doesn’t change — only the pronoun in front changes per subject
Key differences
English
Spanish
Reflexive pronoun optional, added for emphasis
Reflexive pronoun required, part of the verb’s meaning
”I wake up” — no reflexive marker
Me despierto — reflexive marker required
One reflexive pronoun set for all verbs
Same pronoun set, but tied to specific “-se” verbs
Spanish reflexive pronouns
Subject
Reflexive pronoun
yo
me
tú
te
él/ella/usted
se
nosotros
nos
vosotros
os
ellos/ustedes
se
Identical forms to indirect object pronouns except for the 3rd person, which uses se.
Conjugating a reflexive verb: llamarse (to be called)
Drop -se, conjugate the remaining infinitive normally, then place the matching pronoun in front.
Subject
Pronoun + verb
yo
me llamo
tú
te llamas
él/ella/usted
se llama
nosotros
nos llamamos
vosotros
os llamáis
ellos/ustedes
se llaman
Spanish
Word-by-word
English
Me llamo Ana.
myself I-call Ana
My name is Ana.
¿Cómo te llamas?
how yourself you-call
What’s your name?
Él se llama Pablo.
he himself he-calls Pablo
His name is Pablo.
Nos llamamos así.
ourselves we-call thus
That’s what we’re called.
¿Cómo os llamáis?
how yourselves you.pl-call
What are you all called?
Ellas se llaman Sara y Eva.
they themselves they-call Sara and Eva
They’re called Sara and Eva.
Me llamo Carlos, ¿y tú?
myself I-call Carlos, and you
My name is Carlos, and you?
¿Se llama usted Rodríguez?
yourself you-call Rodríguez
Is your name Rodríguez?
El perro se llama Toby.
the dog itself it-calls Toby
The dog is called Toby.
Nos llamamos Ríos.
ourselves we-call Ríos
Our surname is Ríos.
Common everyday reflexive verbs
Spanish infinitive
English
Not reflexive in English
levantarse
to get up
✓
despertarse
to wake up
✓
acostarse
to go to bed
✓
vestirse
to get dressed
✓
ducharse
to shower
✓
bañarse
to bathe
✓
sentarse
to sit down
✓
peinarse
to comb one’s hair
✓
afeitarse
to shave
✓
irse
to leave
✓
Examples in sentences
Spanish
English
Me levanto a las siete.
I get up at seven.
Ella se despierta temprano.
She wakes up early.
Nos acostamos tarde.
We go to bed late.
¿A qué hora te vistes?
What time do you get dressed?
Él se ducha por la mañana.
He showers in the morning.
Me siento cansado.
I feel (lit. “sit myself”) tired.
¿Os peináis antes de salir?
Do you all comb your hair before leaving?
Ellos se afeitan cada día.
They shave every day.
Ya me voy.
I’m leaving now.
¿Por qué te preocupas tanto?
Why do you worry so much?
Placement: with infinitives, the pronoun can attach
Just like object pronouns, reflexive pronouns can go before a conjugated verb or attach to an infinitive.
Separate form
Attached form
English
Me voy a levantar.
Voy a levantarme.
I’m going to get up.
Te tienes que duchar.
Tienes que ducharte.
You have to shower.
Nos vamos a sentar.
Vamos a sentarnos.
We’re going to sit down.
Common mistakes
❌ Dropping the reflexive pronoun: Llamo Ana → ✅ Me llamo Ana — the pronoun is mandatory
❌ Using the wrong pronoun for the subject: Yo se llamo → ✅ Yo me llamo
❌ Placing the pronoun after the conjugated verb → ✅ Me levanto, not Levanto me
❌ Treating every “-se” verb as always reflexive — some verbs change meaning with/without se (ir = to go, irse = to leave)
Summary
Spanish marks many everyday self-directed actions as reflexive verbs ending in -se
The reflexive pronoun (me/te/se/nos/os/se) is required and goes before the conjugated verb
With infinitives, it can attach to the end instead: levantarme, ducharte
Reflexive pronouns share forms with indirect object pronouns, except 3rd person uses se