Verbos reflexivos
English uses 'myself / yourself / herself' to mark reflexive actions: 'I wash myself'. Spanish does the same idea, but with a separate pronoun that goes before the verb (or attached to an infinitive). Reflexive verbs end in -se in the dictionary: lavarse, levantarse, llamarse.
A pronoun for each person
yo me, tú te, él/ella/usted se, nosotros nos, vosotros os, ellos/ellas/ustedes se. These me, te, se, nos, os, se are the reflexive pronouns. They match the subject: I wash myself — me lavo, he washes himself — se lava.
Conjugating levantarse — example
yo me levanto (I get up). tú te levantas. él/ella/usted se levanta. nosotros nos levantamos. vosotros os levantáis. ellos/ellas/ustedes se levantan. The verb conjugates normally; the pronoun rides alongside.
Where the pronoun goes
Right before the conjugated verb: Me lavo (I wash myself). With an infinitive — either attached to the back or before the helper verb: Voy a lavarme = Me voy a lavar. With a positive command — attached: ¡Levántate! (get up!). With a negative one — before: ¡No te levantes!.
The most common reflexives
llamarse (to be called) — me llamo Pablo. levantarse (to get up). acostarse (to go to bed; o→ue: me acuesto). lavarse (to wash). ducharse (to shower). vestirse (to get dressed; e→i: me visto). afeitarse (to shave). despertarse (to wake up; e→ie: me despierto). irse (to leave — me voy).
When -se changes the meaning
Adding -se often shifts the meaning: ir = to go, irse = to leave. dormir = to sleep, dormirse = to fall asleep. comer = to eat, comerse = to eat up entirely. Treat these pairs as separate words.
