​Reflexive Verbs

​Basically, a verb is reflexive when the person or object doing the action also receives the effects of the action.

​Reflexive or no?

• Washing my dog ✘

• ​Washing my hands ✓

• ​Shaving my own head ✓

• ​Someone shaving my head ✘

​Reflexive or no?

​

• ​Dog shaking himself dry ✓

• Someone drying the dog off with a towel ✘

• ​Bart drying off with a towel ✓

​Reflexive or no?

​

• ​Dog drying itself ✓

• ​Someone drying dog with towel ✘

• ​Bart drying himself with a towel ✓

​To show that an action is reflexive in Spanish, the infinitive verbs end in SE.

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Examples:

​

• ​ducharse - to shower

• ​vestirse - to get dressed

• ​peinarse el pelo - to comb your hair

• ​secarse el pelo - to dry your hair

​An action doesn't always have to be reflexive.

​LAVAR LAVARSE

How to use reflexive verbs in Spanish​

​The SE must CHANGE to match the person

​With the example: ducharse (to shower)

• SE → ME if I am doing the action to myself.

  • ​Ex. I need to shower ↠ Necesito ducharme.

• ​SE → TE if you are doing the action to yourself.

  • ​Ex. You need to shower ↠ Necesitas ducharte.

• ​SE → SE if he/she/it/Ud. is doing the action to themself.

  • ​Ex. He needs to shower ↠ Necesita ducharse.

• ​SE → NOS if we are doing the action to ourselves.

  • ​Ex. We need to shower ↠ Necesitamos ducharnos.

• SE → SE if if ell@s/Uds. are doing the action to themselves.

  • ​Ex. They need to shower ↠ Necesitan ducharse.

TIME TO PRACTICE

Type the missing word to finish the sentence.

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​You may have to change the SE at the end of the verb to make it match the person who is doing the action.

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​There are no capitalization or puncuation issues in the answers.

​

​All answers are one-word answers.

​CONJUGATING REFLEXIVE VERBS

​putting them in the yo form, tú form, etc.

​

​Time to write!

​The pronoun ( me/te/se/nos/se) goes in front of a conjugated verb.

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​Then, conjugate the verb normally. They are two separate words.

LAVARSE

​

• ​yo ➤ me lavo

• ​tú ➤ te lavas

• ​él/ella/Ud. ➤ se lava

• ​nosotros ➤ nos lavamos

• ​ellos/Uds. ➤ se lavan

TIME TO PRACTICE

Conjugate the reflexive verb to make it match the subject of the sentence.

​

​You may have to change the SE to make it match the person who is doing the action.

​

​Then, conjugate the verb like normal. I will tell you if it's a stem-changer.

​

​There are no capitalization or punctuation issues in the answers.

​

​All answers are two word answers.

​QUICK!

See what you remember from our lesson. Each of the following questions gives you 5 seconds to respond.