{"id":138488,"date":"2023-10-04T07:44:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T11:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/pronominal-verbs-spanish\/"},"modified":"2024-12-05T11:43:03","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T16:43:03","slug":"pronominal-verbs-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/pronominal-verbs-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Pronominal Verbs in Spanish (Example Sentences Included)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Instituto de Verbolog\u00eda Hisp\u00e1nica<\/em> (Hispanic Verbology Institute<\/a>) has a whopping 100,700 different Spanish verbs in its online database.\u00a0On the other hand, the Diccionario de la Real Academia Espa\u00f1ola <\/em>(Royal Spanish Academy’s Dictionary<\/a>) only has around 1,000 purely pronominal verbs.<\/p>\n

Spanish pronominal verbs, recognizable by their reflexive pronouns like me, te<\/em>\u00a0or se<\/em>, often describe actions that affect the subject directly or express subtle nuances in meaning. While they may seem daunting, understanding them is key to navigating common conversations and cultural expressions in Spanish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is a Spanish Pronominal Verb?<\/h2>\n

Simply put, a pronominal verb is a verb that requires a reflexive pronoun<\/a>. In English, these pronouns consist of those that end in -self<\/em> or -selves<\/em> like myself, yourself, itself, ourselves, yourselves <\/em>and so on.<\/p>\n

You’ve probably already seen some Spanish verbs ending in -se<\/em>. These are pronominal verbs! Like in English, Spanish pronominal verbs describe an action that we either do to ourselves or that affects us directly.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are some examples of Spanish pronominal verbs in the infinitive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish Pronominal Verb<\/th>English Translation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
ducharse<\/em><\/td>have a shower<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
vestirse<\/em><\/td>get dressed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
quererse<\/em><\/td>love oneself or each other<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
perderse<\/em><\/td>get lost<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
afeitarse<\/em><\/td>shave<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Unlike English verbs, Spanish <\/strong>verbs will usually be either pronominal or not.<\/strong> This means, for example, that the verb vestirse <\/em>is a pronominal verb and every time a subject dresses themselves, you’ll have a pronominal conjugated verb in Spanish<\/a>, no matter the context:<\/p>\n

Acabo de vestirme.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(I just got dressed<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

\u00a1Mam\u00e1, me<\/strong> he vestido<\/strong> yo solo! <\/em>(Mum, I<\/strong> got dressed<\/strong> myself!)<\/p>\n

Pronominal verbs are much more common in Spanish than in English, and unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all rule of thumb for them.<\/p>\n

Some of them will make sense (like vestirse <\/em>and afeitarse<\/em>),<\/em> while others are pronominal just because (like\u00a0acabarse <\/em>or “to run out of” and\u00a0llamarse <\/em>or “to be called”). Imagine saying something like “I just ran myself out of milk” in English!<\/p>\n

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of Spanish pronominal verbs, I’m going to run you through the reflexive pronouns that often come with these verbs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish Reflexive Pronouns<\/th>English Translation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
me<\/em><\/td>myself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
te<\/em><\/td>yourself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
se<\/em><\/td>himself, herself, itself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
nos<\/em><\/td>ourselves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
os<\/em><\/td>yourselves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
se<\/em><\/td>themselves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Later, I’ll explain in more detail how to use these pronouns. Just keep them handy for now and pay careful attention to how they’re used relative to pronominal verbs in Spanish sentences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Types of Spanish Pronominal Verbs<\/h2>\n

In reality, there are several types of pronominal verbs in Spanish. Luckily, you don’t need to know all of them to become fluent<\/a> in the language. Even native speakers don’t use them all, and if they do, they don’t do it knowingly!<\/p>\n

That said, it is possible to boil down the most common pronominal Spanish verbs into six main categories.<\/p>\n

1. Purely Pronominal Verbs<\/h3>\n

Let’s start with an easy one. Purely pronominal verbs, known in Spanish as verbos pronominales puros,<\/em> are a small group of verbs that only exist in the pronominal form (hence their name). In other words, they cannot exist without a reflexive pronoun.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Purely Pronominal Spanish Verbs<\/th>Example Sentences<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
arrepentirse<\/em>
\n(regret)<\/td>		Me arrepiento<\/strong> de lo que hice.<\/em>
\n(I regret<\/strong> what I did.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
atreverse<\/em>
\n(dare)<\/td>		\u00bfTe atrever\u00edas<\/strong> a saltar?<\/em>
\n(Would you dare<\/strong> to jump?)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
quejarse<\/em>\u00a0
\n(complain)<\/td>		\u00a1Deja de quejarte<\/strong>!<\/em>
\n(Stop complaining<\/strong>!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
suicidarse<\/em>\u00a0
\n(commit suicide)<\/td>		Si conoces a alguien que piensa en suicidarse<\/strong>, no lo ignores.<\/em>
\n(If you know someone who is thinking about committing suicide<\/strong>, do not ignore them.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

2. Reflexive Verbs<\/h3>\n

This second group is probably the biggest one and arguably the first one that comes to mind when people think about Spanish pronominal verbs.<\/p>\n

However, you should remember that even though all reflexive verbs (verbos <\/em>reflexivos<\/em><\/em>) are pronominal, not all pronominal verbs are reflexive!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember that reflexive verbs indicate that the subject of the sentence is performing the action on themselves. Because of that, the reflexive pronoun has to agree with the subject:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish Reflexive Verbs<\/th>Example Sentences<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
ducharse<\/em>
\n(have a shower)<\/td>		Ve t\u00fa<\/strong> a ducharte<\/strong>.<\/em>
\n(You<\/strong> go have a shower<\/strong>.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
peinarse<\/em>\u00a0
\n(comb)<\/td>		Yo<\/strong> siempre me peino<\/strong> antes de salir de casa.<\/em>
\n(I<\/strong> always comb my hair<\/strong> before leaving the house.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
cepillarse los dientes<\/em>
\n(brush one's teeth)<\/td>		Juan<\/strong> aprendi\u00f3 a cepillarse los dientes<\/strong> cuando ten\u00eda tres a\u00f1os.<\/em>
\n(Juan<\/strong> learned how to brush his teeth<\/strong> when he was three.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

As you can see, most grooming activities are reflexive in Spanish. Don’t worry\u2014you’ll get used to it.<\/p>\n

But again, pronominal verbs in Spanish aren’t always reflexive. In sentences like Voy a ba\u00f1ar<\/strong> a mi hijo <\/em>(I am going to bathe<\/strong> my son) and\u00a0Dile a pap\u00e1 que te vista<\/strong> <\/em>(Tell Dad to get you dressed<\/strong>), the words used to describe grooming activities become normal verbs, since the actions are performed on a different person.<\/p>\n

False Reflexive Verbs<\/h4>\n

Just to complicate things, there are verbs that look like reflexive verbs but aren’t.<\/p>\n

English has phrases like “to have something done” to say that someone does something for another person (like “having your nails done”), but Spanish doesn’t.<\/p>\n

In other words, just because a verb uses a pronoun that looks reflexive doesn’t automatically mean that the verb is reflexive.<\/p>\n

Take this sentence, for example:<\/p>\n

T\u00fa<\/strong> deber\u00edas cortarte<\/strong> el pelo ya. <\/em>(You should get your hair cut already.)<\/p>\n

Notice how the subject of the above sentence agrees with the pronoun, which may make you think this person is going to cut his own hair. However, it’s more likely he’s going to the hairdresser to have it cut.<\/p>\n

Here are two more examples:<\/p>\n

Tengo que hacerme<\/strong> las u\u00f1as. <\/em>(I have to get my nails done.)<\/p>\n

Nos<\/strong> hemos hecho<\/strong> una liposucci\u00f3n. <\/em>(We have had a liposuction done.)<\/p>\n

3. Reciprocal Verbs<\/h3>\n

Reciprocal verbs are similar to reflexive verbs, except instead of someone doing an action to themselves, we have two people doing the same action to each other. <\/strong>These verbs are called\u00a0verbos rec\u00edprocos <\/em>(reciprocal verbs).<\/p>\n

Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Reciprocal Spanish Verbs<\/th>Example Sentences<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nos queremos<\/strong>.<\/em><\/td>We love<\/strong> each other.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nos odiamos<\/strong>.<\/em><\/td>We hate<\/strong> each other.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cuando se encontraron<\/strong>, se abrazaron<\/strong>.<\/em><\/td>They hugged<\/strong> each other when they met<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Since the actions always happen between two or more people, only the plural forms are used.<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Ethical Datives or Datives of Interest<\/h3>\n

Ethical datives (dativos \u00e9ticos<\/em>) or datives of interest (dativos de inter\u00e9s<\/em>) are object pronouns added to verbs to indicate that the subject of the sentence is somehow affected, involved or concerned by the action.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In English, using “me” like “Cry me<\/strong> a river” or “I am going to buy me <\/strong>some new books” comes across as colloquial at best and ungrammatical at worst.<\/p>\n

In Spanish, on the other hand, this is not only acceptable, but also mandatory if you want another person to know that they’re important to you:<\/p>\n

No te me<\/strong> vayas a caer. <\/em>(Please, do not fall.)<\/p>\n

The me\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>in this case doesn’t imply that I’m about to fall as well. It just means you’re important to me and I don’t want that happening to you.<\/p>\n

Here are two more examples:<\/p>\n

No te nos <\/strong>mueras. <\/em>(Do not die on us now.)<\/p>\n

Cu\u00eddateme. <\/em>(Please, take care of yourself.)<\/p>\n

5. Pseudo-reflexive Verbs<\/h3>\n

Pseudo-reflexive verbs (verbos pseudo-reflexivos<\/em>) aren’t as complicated as they sound. They’re verbs that look like real reflexive verbs (because they require reflexive pronouns), but they only describe a change in emotions<\/strong> rather than an action performed, as in:<\/p>\n

aburrirse<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(get bored):\u00a0Me<\/strong> aburr\u00ed<\/strong> mucho en la reuni\u00f3n. <\/em>(I<\/strong> got<\/strong> very bored<\/strong> at the meeting.)<\/p>\n

This example doesn’t mean I “applied boredom on myself,” but only that I got bored.<\/p>\n

Have a few more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Pseudo-reflexive Verbs<\/th>Example Sentences<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
alegrarse<\/em>\u00a0
\n(rejoice, be happy)<\/td>		Nos alegramos<\/strong> mucho de verte.<\/em>
\n(We are very happy<\/strong> to see you.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
deprimirse<\/em>
\n(get\/become depressed)<\/td>		Cualquiera puede deprimirse<\/strong>.<\/em>
\n(Anyone can become depressed<\/strong>.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sentirse<\/em>\u00a0
\n(feel)<\/td>		Ya me siento<\/strong> mucho mejor.<\/em>
\n(I feel<\/strong> much better already.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

6. Pronominal and Non-pronominal: Verbs That Change Meaning<\/h3>\n

Finally, there’s a group of verbs that change their meaning depending on whether they’re pronominal or not.<\/strong> These verbs are unique in that they have non-reflexive siblings.<\/p>\n

It would take me another whole post to include all of them, but I cannot conclude this list without giving you the most important pairs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Pronominal Verbs<\/th>Non-pronominal Verbs<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
aburrirse<\/em><\/strong> (get bored)<\/td>aburrir<\/em> (bore)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
acostarse<\/strong><\/em> (go to bed)<\/td>acostar<\/em> (put someone to bed)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
encontrarse<\/em><\/strong> (be located)<\/td>encontrar<\/em> (find)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
levantarse<\/em><\/strong> (get up)<\/td>levantar<\/em> (lift up)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
negarse<\/em><\/strong> (refuse to)<\/td>negar<\/em> (deny)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
perderse<\/em><\/strong> (get lost)<\/td>perder<\/em> (lose)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
reunirse<\/em><\/strong> (gather)<\/td>reunir<\/em> (collect)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
volverse<\/em><\/strong> (turn around)<\/td>volver<\/em> (return from some place)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

How to Use Spanish Reflexive Pronouns<\/h2>\n

Now that I’ve thoroughly confused you with the ins and outs of Spanish pronominal verbs, I think we can take a breather and talk about the finer points of Spanish reflexive pronouns.<\/p>\n

There’s only one important difference between Spanish and English reflexive pronouns: Spanish reflexive pronouns change their place in the sentence depending on the form of the verb. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Luckily, the rules concerning this are pretty simple.<\/p>\n

1. If the pronominal verb is conjugated, the reflexive pronoun precedes it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong> llamo Franko. <\/em>(My name is Franko.)<\/p>\n

Ella se<\/strong> viste. <\/em>(She is getting dressed.)<\/p>\n

2. If the pronominal verb is in the infinitive, the reflexive pronoun either precedes the conjugated verb or is attached at the end of the infinitive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can put the pronoun anywhere without changing the meaning, as long as you use the appropriate pronoun depending on the subject of the sentence.<\/p>\n

Yo<\/strong> me<\/strong> prefiero ba\u00f1ar por la ma\u00f1ana. <\/em>(I prefer having a bath in the morning.)<\/p>\n

Yo<\/strong> prefiero ba\u00f1arme <\/strong>por la ma\u00f1ana.<\/em>\u00a0(I prefer having a bath in the morning.)<\/p>\n

3. If the pronominal verb is in the present progressive<\/a>, you can either add the pronoun before estar<\/em><\/a> or attach it to the infinitive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once again, you have to choose the pronoun bearing in mind the subject of the sentence.<\/p>\n

Nosotros<\/strong> nos<\/strong> estamos ba\u00f1ando. <\/em>(We are having a bath.)<\/p>\n

Nosotros<\/strong> estamos ba\u00f1\u00e1ndonos.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/em>(We are having a bath.)<\/p>\n

For more examples of pronominal Spanish verbs in action, check out the videos on the language learning platform FluentU<\/a>.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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