\n[fluentu-toc]
\n<\/p>\n
What’s a Reflexive Verb?<\/h2>\n
A reflexive verb is a verb that refers to something the subject does to itself.<\/strong> Any given day is full of tasks that you need to complete “upon yourself,” such as brushing your own hair or waking yourself up. These verbs reflect upon themselves, hence they’re known as “reflexive” verbs.<\/p>\n The easiest way to recognize an infinitive<\/a> (unconjugated) reflexive verb is that, rather than ending with -ar<\/em><\/a>, -ir<\/a><\/em> or -er<\/a>,<\/em> it’ll always end with –<\/strong>se.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>For example:<\/p>\n Standard verb: lavar \u2014 <\/em>to wash\u00a0 The reflexive verb pattern\u00a0could be explained as referring to an instance when\u00a0the<\/strong> subject completes action on itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n On the other hand, with a regular verb the subject completes an action on another subject or object.<\/strong><\/p>\n Most reflexive verbs are simply regular verbs with a –se<\/em>\u00a0added to them to indicate\u00a0that\u00a0the subject and object are the same.<\/strong> Some, however, are unable to be anything except reflexive. Consider the verb “repent” in English. Only the subject can repent, for themselves. The subject can’t repent for someone else.<\/p>\n Therefore, in Spanish, arrepentirse <\/em>(to repent, to regret) can’t be used without the –se<\/em> or reflexive element. The same can be said of quejarse<\/em>\u00a0(to complain).<\/p>\n Reflexive verbs are also sometimes used to describe an emotional response. <\/strong>The English equivalent of this is “becoming something” (e.g., I became sad) or something “making you” feel a certain way (e.g., \u201cI get bored\u201d or \u201cit makes me happy\u201d).<\/p>\n In Spanish, the reflexive verb format is:<\/p>\n Te alegras<\/strong> de leer. \u2014 <\/em>It makes you happy<\/strong> to read. Now that you know what a Spanish reflexive verb looks like, let’s learn how to use them.<\/p>\n Using reflexive verbs in Spanish will soon become second nature\u2014a reflex, if you will\u2014but this will only happen if you take the time\u00a0now\u00a0<\/em>to really learn how reflexive verbs function.<\/p>\n I’m going to break it all down into five neat steps for you. By the end of this post, you’ll be well on your way to conquering these pesky verbs!<\/p>\n To understand how to use reflexive verbs, you’ll need to understand pronouns.\u00a0Pronouns<\/a> are those pesky, two- or three-letter words that reflexive verbs need to make sense. They’re the equivalents of “myself,” “yourself” and so on.<\/p>\n Reflexive pronouns are almost the same as indirect object pronouns<\/a>.<\/p>\n There’s just one key difference: Instead of le<\/em> or les\u00a0<\/em>for the third person singular and plural, reflexive pronouns use se<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n
\nReflexive verb: lavarse<\/strong> \u2014 <\/em>to wash oneself<\/p>\n
\nMe aburro<\/strong> de estudiar. \u2014<\/em> I get bored<\/strong> with studying.<\/p>\nHow to Use Reflexive Verbs in Spanish<\/h2>\n
1. Know Your Pronouns<\/h3>\n
![\"FluentU](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/NativeAd-Spanish.jpg\")
\r\n