Spanish reflexive verbs: me levanto, te duchas, se va
This lesson helps you tell your day, from waking up to going to bed, using Spanish reflexive verbs. These verbs are extremely common in daily routines, because you often describe actions you do to yourself. The key skill is pronoun placement, so you can build correct sentences fast.
The rule
A Spanish reflexive verb appears in its dictionary form with se, for example levantarse. In real sentences, that se becomes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person and stays attached to the verb. The full set is: me, te, se, nos, os, se. You use these forms constantly in daily routines, because you talk about actions you do to yourself, like waking up, getting up, showering, washing, and getting dressed.
The key idea is that the pronoun changes when the subject changes. With levantarse in the present tense, you can see it clearly: yo me levanto, tú te levantas, él o ella se levanta, nosotros nos levantamos, vosotros os levantáis, ellos o ellas se levantan. The verb and the pronoun work as a pair. If you swap the subject, you must also swap the pronoun.
At a glance
Reflexive pronouns
| Persona | Pronombre |
|---|---|
| yo | me |
| tú | te |
| él, ella, usted | se |
| nosotros, nosotras | nos |
| vosotros, vosotras | os |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | se |
Heard in real Spanish
Native speakers on YouTube, in videos about something other than grammar. The notion is in pink. Each clip starts a second before the line.
Siempre me mancho, entonces siempre me tengo que estar quitando mi rimel.
I always stain myself, so I always have to remove my mascara.
Mi rutina de mañana para la escuela 5:00am by Michelle Decont · Watch on YouTube
Y ahora sí te enseño cómo se acoplan los Joy-Con.
And now I'll show you how the Joy-Con attach.
🎮 ¡Mi primera vez con la Nintendo Switch 2! | Unboxing, primeras impresiones, diferencias claras ⭐️🧸 by Judit Güell · Watch on YouTube
Examples
- Primero me despierto a las siete.First, I wake up at seven.Despertarse has a stem change: me despierto.
- Luego me levanto y me lavo la cara.Then I get up and wash my face.Two reflexive verbs, each needs its pronoun.
- Después me ducho y me visto rápido.After that, I shower and get dressed quickly.Vestirse changes e→i: me visto.
What to remember
- The reflexive pronouns are: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
- In the present, levantarse clearly shows person plus pronoun: yo me levanto, tú te levantas.
- The pronoun goes before a conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive, or attached to a gerund.
- With estar + gerundio, an accent often appears when you attach the pronoun: levantándose.
- To tell your routine, use primero, luego, después, por fin, and also antes de and después de.
Check yourself
1 Choose the correct form for a daily routine in the present.
Yo ___ a las siete.
- me levanto
- levanto
- levántome
- levanto me
Show the answer
me levanto. Levantarse needs the reflexive pronoun for yo: me levanto.
2 Choose the sentence where the pronoun is attached to the infinitive.
- Nos vamos a acostar temprano.
- Vamos a acostarnos temprano.
- Vamos nos a acostar temprano.
- Vamos a acostar nos temprano.
Show the answer
Vamos a acostarnos temprano.. With an infinitive, the pronoun can attach to it: acostarnos.
Take the full lesson
“Reflexive verbs: my day” in the Streal course: the whole explanation, the quiz, and every YouTube extract picked for it. Free to start, nothing to install. The full lesson goes on with the rest of the explanation and more examples, the common mistakes and the practice quiz.