Spanish/Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs indicate that the action of the verb reflects back on the subject. In their infinitive forms, reflexive verbs end in -se. Examples: lavarse- to wash oneself vestirse- to dress oneself Conjugation requires removing the -se ending and conjugating normally. The reflexive pronouns are then placed before the conjugated form of the verb. Lavarse yo - me lavo - I wash myself tú - te lavas - you wash yourself él/ella/Ud. - se lava - he/she/it washes himself/herself/itself nosotros - nos lavamos - we wash ourselves vosotros - os laváis - you (plural) wash yourselves ellos/ellas/Uds. - se lavan - they wash themselves Vestirse yo - me visto - I dress myself tú - te vistes - you dress yourself él/ella/Ud. - se viste - he/she/it dresses himself/herself/itself nosotros - nos vestimos - we dress ourselves vosotros - os vestís - you (plural) dress yourselves ellos/ellas/Uds. - se visten - they dress themselves Reflexive verbs often have to do with personal hygiene, grooming, and dressing: peinarse- to brush one's hair maquillarse- to make-up oneself cepillarse (los dientes)- to brush one's teeth bañarse- to bathe oneself Remember that the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, etc.) must be included with the verb, even if the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.) is not. List of reflexive verbs: aburrirse - to get bored acercarse - to get close to acordarse de - to remember acostarse - to go to bed acostumbrarse a - to get accustomed to (to get use to) afeitarse - to shave aficionarse a - to become interested in alegrarse - to become (be) happy alejarse de - to get/move away from (a person, place or thing) animarse - to cheer up, to decide to/game to/become interested in doing arreglarse - to get ready, to come to agreement with s.o, to dress(not get dressed) - Ella se arregla bien.; to improve or work out right; to make due apartarse de - to move away from (irse), to stray, to move aside, to withdraw or cut oneself off from apoderarse de - to seize, to take possession of apoyarse en - to support apresurarse a - to hurry aprovecharse de - to profit from, to take advantage of asustarse - to get or become afraid atreverse a - to dare to bañarse - to take a bath burlarse de - to make fun of caerse - to fall (down) calmarse - to calm down cansarse de - to get tired of casarse con - to marry cepillarse - to brush (hair, teeth..) colocarse de - to get/take a job colocarse - to find a job, to place oneself (in a certain spot) comerse - to eat something all up compadecerse de - to sympathize with or take pity on complacerse en - to take pleasure in comunicarse - to communicate conformarse con - to be conform to or comply with, to agree with, to get used to the idea or resign oneself to contentarse con - to cheer up, to make do convertirse en - to become, to convert, to turn into cuidarse - to take care darse cuenta de - to realize decidirse a - to make up one's mind, to decide to dedicarse a - to dedicate oneself to (profession, activity, etc.) despedirse de - to say goodbye desayunarse - to eat breakfast despertarse - to wake up despojarse de - to give up or forsake desvestirse - to undress dirigirse a - to go/make one's way toward; to address someone (in speech or writing) disponerse a - to prepare or get ready divertirse de - to have fun dormirse - to go to sleep ducharse - to shower echarse a - to begin to (many other definitions) emocionarse - to get excited empeñarse en - to persist or insist on; to commit or bind oneself to enamorarse de - to fall in love with encargarse de - to take charge of or be responsible for; to look after or attend to; to take care of or see to encogerse de hombros - to shrug (shoulders) encontrarse con - to meet with enfermarse - to get sick enojarse - to get or become angry enterarse de - to find out, to realize entenderse con - to get along with; to agree or come to an agreement exponerse a - to expose oneself to or run the risk of exponerse de - to run the risk of fijarse en - to pay attention to fiarse de - to trust something or someone fiarse en - to trust in something or someone irse - to go (away) or to leave jugarse - to play lavarse - to wash (any body part) levantarse - to get up marearse - to get sick, to get dizzy maquillarse - to put makeup on meterse con - to pick on, to pick a fight with meterse en - to get into motivarse a- to become or get motivated to moverse - to move oneself, to do or be in charge of mudarse - to "move" (change residence) negarse a - to refuse to obsesionarse con - to be/get obsessed with ocuparse de - to look after olvidarse de - to forget parecerse a - to look like peinarse - to brush or comb hair ponerse - to put on (clothing), to get dressed ponerse de acuerdo - to come to an agreement with someone ponerse en camino - to get on (your)way portarse - to behave preocuparse de - to worry about prepararse a - to prepare to probarse - to try on quebrarse - to break (an arm, leg...) quejarse de - to complain about quedarse - to remain/ to stay quemarse - to burn (oneself, one's body) quitarse - to take off (clothing) reirse de - to laugh about resignarse a - to resign oneself to resolverse a - to resolve oneself to reunirse - to meet up or reunite romperse - to break (an arm, leg...) secarse - to dry (a body part) sentarse - to sit down sentirse - to feel servirse - to help oneself to suicidarse - to commit suicide, to kill oneself. tratarse de - to have dealings with or associate oneself with someone vestirse - to get dressed