You have already learned that verbs in Spanish only have one of three possible endings; -ar, -er, or -ir. However, there is one exception to this rule. Reflexive verbs still have one of the three normal endings, but they also have the pronoun se added to the end. The se is usually there to show that the doer of the action is doing something to itself.
bañar (to bathe) → Yo baño al perro. I wash the dog.
bañarse (to bathe oneself) → Yo me baño. I bathe myself.
When conjugating the reflexive verb, the pronoun se changes to match who you are conjugating the verb for. Remember to place the pronoun in the right place.It always goes before the conjugated verb (except for infinitives, positive commands, and progressive participles).
|
Yo |
me |
Nosotros |
nos |
|
Tú |
te |
Vosotros |
os |
|
Él, Ella, Usted |
se |
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes |
se |
To conjugate the verb bañarse in the present indicative tense, see the chart below. Notice how the pronoun changes with each conjugation.
| Yo | me baño | Nosotros | nos bañamos |
| Tú | te bañas | Vosotros | os bañáis |
| Él, Ella, Usted | se baña | Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes | se bañan |
Sometimes the difference between a verb and a its reflexive form are pretty obvious:
| aburrir – to bore | aburrirse – to get bored | |
| acostar – to put to bed | acostarse – to go to bed | |
| bañar – to bathe (someone) | bañarse – to take a bath | |
| cansar – to tire | cansarse – to get tired | |
| colocar – to place (something) | colocarse – to place oneself, to get a job | |
| engañar – to deceive | engañarse – to deceive oneself, to be mistaken | |
| esconder – to hide (something) | esconderse – to hide (oneself) | |
| parar – to stop (something) | pararse – to stop (oneself) | |
| sentar – to seat | sentarse – to sit down |
Sometimes the difference is not so obvious:
| abonar – to pay money | abonarse – to subscribe | |
| abrir – to open | abrirse – to open up (emotionally) | |
| acordar – to agree | acordarse – to remember | |
| acusar – to accuse | acusarse – to confess | |
| callar – to be be quiet | callarse – to become quiet | |
| cerrar – to close | cerrarse – to clam up (emotionally) | |
| combinar – to combine | combinarse – to take turns | |
| dormir – to sleep | dormirse – to fall asleep | |
| ir – to go | irse – to go away | |
| salir – to leave | salirse – to leave unexpectedly | |
| poner – to place, to put | ponerse – to become |
And sometimes there are verbs that are only used reflexively in Spanish, but would not be reflexive in English.
| apoderarse (de) – to take possession of |
| apresurarse (a) – to hurry |
| aprovecharse (de) – to take advantage of |
| arrepentirse (de) – to repent |
| atreverse (a) – to dare (to) |
| burlarse (de) – to make fun of |
| desayunarse – to have breakfast |
| desmayarse – to faint |
| escaparse (de) – to escape (from) |
| fiarse (de) – to trust |
| fijarse (en) – to stare (at) |
| negarse (a) – to refuse (to) |
| olvidarse (de) – to forget |
| parecerse (a) – to resemble |
| quejarse (de) – to complain |
| empeñarse (en) – to insist (on) |
| enterarse (de) – to find out about |
| reírse (de) – to laugh (at) |
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