The following verbs from Chapter 5 (page 157) are reflexive. A verb is reflexive when the infinitive has “se” attached to the end of the verb.

acostarse (ue) lavarseafeitarse levantarsebañarse maquillarsecepillarse peinarsedespertarse (ie) quitarseducharse sentarse (ie)

vestirse (i)

“Reflexive” means “-self” (myself, yourself, etc.). What “se” literally means is “himself,” “herself,” “themselves,” “yourself” (formal), or “yourselves” (formal).

Reflexive verbs have to have a reflexive pronoun. “Se” is the third person reflexive pronoun.

He shaves = (El) se afeita.

You can’t simply say “afeita.” That doesn’t mean anything. If you were to say that to a speaker of Spanish, he’d think, “He shaves what?” You have to specify “He shaves HIMSELF.”

What you do is take “se” off the end of the verb, put it in front of the verb, and then conjugate the verb:

(ie) – (Ella) . – She sits down. – Literally, “she seats herself.”

bañarse – (Ellos) se bañan. -- They bathe. – Literally, “they bathe themselves.”

vestirse (i) – (El) se viste. – He dresses. – Literally, “he dresses himself.”

sentarse sienta

CLICK HERE TO GO TO A SHORT PRACTICE

“Se” only works for third person. You can’t use it to say “I bathe” or “You wake up.” You need first and second person pronouns.

Here are the reflexive pronouns:

me nos myself ourselves

te os yourself yourselves

se se himself, themselves,

herself, yourselves (formal)

itself,

yourself (formal)Notice that four of the pronouns are identical to the direct object pronouns:

REFLEXIVE DIRECT OBJECT me nos me nos

te os te osse se lo, la los, las

So . . .

– I bathe. – (Yo) . – Literally, “I bathe myself.”

– You dry off. – (Tú) . – Literally, “You dry yourself.”

– We get up. – (Nosotros) . – Literally, “We raise ourselves up.”

– Y’all take a shower. – (Vosotros) . – Literally, “Y’all shower yourselves.”

bañarse me baño

secarse

se

te secas

selevantar

duchar

nos levantamos

os ducháis

So how do you say “you shave”?

Te afeitas.

How about “he shaves”?

me noste osse se

Se afeita.

And “we shave”?

Nos afeitamos.

“Y’all shave”?

Os afeitáis.“They shave”?

Se afeitan.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that “me,” “te,” etc., are substitutes for subject

pronouns. I can say

me afeito and te afeitas

but I can also say

yo me afeito and tú te afeitas

CLICK HERE TO GO TO A SHORT PRACTICE.

With most reflexive verbs, if they’re not reflexive, you have to do the action to someone else

I shave (myself). Me afeito. Afeito al hombre. I shave the man.

I sit down (seat myself). Me siento. Siento a mis amigos. I seat my friends.

I wake up (myself). Me despierto. Despierto a mi hija. I wake my daughter up.

I go to bed. Me acuesto. Acuesto a mis hijas. I put my daughters to bed.

The first one of each pair has “me” as a reflexive pronoun. The second doesn’t have a reflexive

pronoun because it has a direct object.

Now look again at the sentences from the previous slide. What if,

instead of “I shave the man,” you want to say, “I shave him”?

I shave (myself). Me afeito. Afeito al hombre. I shave the man.

Lo afeito. I shave him.

What about “I seat them” instead of “I seat my friends”?

I sit down (seat myself). Me siento. Siento a mis amigos. I seat my friends.

Los siento. I seat them.

And “I wake her up” instead of “I wake my daughter up”?

I wake up (myself). Me despierto. Despierto a mi hija. I wake my daughter up.

La despierto. I wake her up.

Finally, “I put them to bed” instead of “I put my daughers to bed”?

I go to bed. Me acuesto. Acuesto a mis hijas. I put my daughters to bed.

Las acuesto. I put them to bed.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO A SHORT PRACTICE.

DORMIRSE

The verb “dormirse” is a little different. You can’t sleep someone else. “Dormir” means “to sleep”; “dormirse” means “to fall asleep.”

• Duermo. – I sleep.

• Me duermo. – I fall asleep.

• **Lo duermo.** -- Garbage. Not possible.

Click here to go to your homework.