This Spanish Grammar online topic covers Reflexive Verbs and Reflexive Pronouns. In Spanish, a verb is considered reflexive if the subject (the performer of the action) and the object (the receiver of the action)
are the same.
Here’s an example of a reflexive verb being used in English:
I wash myself.
In the above sentence the verb “wash" is considered reflexive because the subject or the one performing the action (“I") and the object or the one receiving the action (“myself") are the same. On the other hand, if I said “I wash the baby," the verb “wash" is no longer reflexive because the subject or the one performing the action (“I") and the object or the one receiving the action (“baby") are not the same.
Spanish reflexive verbs consist of a verb and a reflexive pronoun.
The following are reflexive pronouns or objects of reflexive verbs.
me myself
te yourself (tú form)
se yourself (usted form)
nos ourselves
se themselves, yourselves
When there is just one verb in the sentence, the reflexive pronoun must come before the reflexive verb.
Me baño.
I wash myself
However, when there are two verbs in the sentence, the reflexive pronoun either comes right before the first verb or follows the second verb.
Quiero bañarme.
I want to wash myself.
Me quiero bañar.
I want to wash myself.
Here are some examples using reflexive verbs.
Me afeito
I shave myself
Te duchas
You take a shower
Se llama Juan
He calls himself John
Nos dormimos
We fall asleep
No nos sentamos
We don’t sit down
Se enojan
They get mad
Se levantan
All of you get up
Te cepillas los dientes
You brush your teeth.
Literally, “los dientes" means “the teeth" and not “your teeth." Since we are using the reflexive pronoun “te" it is obvious whose teeth we are talking about.
Here some common reflexive verbs in Spanish.
acostarse to go to bed
afeitarse to shave oneself
bañarse to bathe oneself
casarse (con alguien) to get married, to marry someone
cepillarse to brush oneself
despertarse (ie) to wake up
desvestirse (i) to get undressed
divertirse (ie) to enjoy oneself
dormirse (ue) to fall asleep
ducharse to take a shower
enfermarse to get sick
lavarse to wash oneself
levantarse to get up
llamarse to be named, to be called
mirarse to look at oneself
peinarse to comb (one’s hair)
quitarse (la ropa) to takeoff (one’s clothes)
secarse to dry one’s self
sentarse (ie) to sit down
sentirse (ie) to feel
vestirse (i) to get dressed
Now let’s try a few exercises. Translate the following into Spanish. The answers follow the questions.
1. My name is Patrick 2. You brush your hair every evening. (Use “tu" form) 3. You can wash your feet. (Use “tú" form) 4. Do you take a shower or do you take a bath in the morning? (Use the “usted" form) 5. He takes off his pants. 6. We wash our hands before dinner. 7. The wake up very late.
1. Me llamo Patrick. 2. Te cepillas el pelo cada noche. 3. Te puedes lavar los pies. Puedes lavarte los pies. 4. ¿Se ducha o se baña en la mañana? 5. Se quita los pantalones. 6. Nos lavamos las manos antes de la cena. 7. Se despiertan muy tarde.
Spanish is one of the most romantic languages in the world and it is also one of the most commonly spoken by quite a large number of people. The Spanish language is so prevalent in almost all the parts of the globe that most of the languages worldwide have some kind of Spanish influence in them. In the United States alone, there are 43.1 million people who speak the language. This makes the US as the 4th country with the largest Spanish speaking population in the world.
Learning Spanish is Very Easy
Because the Spanish language has somehow influenced quite a number of other languages all over the world, learning it is just very easy. You could even teach yourself to speak the language by just going through language manuals. Of course, there are also online courses on the Internet that would make learning the language much easier for anyone. These courses are usually offered for free and all you have to do is just to register on the site that offers the courses. There are courses that are offered to people on beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. You could learn Spanish and any other foreign language, which you might want to learn, on these sites through multimedia files.
The Advantages to Speaking Spanish
Aside from purposes of enhancing oneself, there are also many advantages to learning the Spanish language. If you want to be among those who wish to learn Spanish, then the time to start learning it is now. Here are some of the advantages to learning Spanish that might push you to learn it:
- Get a competitive edge when it comes to the job market. Learning Spanish will give you that much-needed edge when it comes to looking for jobs. You would be more appealing to employers if your resume reflects that you have Spanish skills. This will show your employers that you have the drive to better yourself by learning new things and that you have the necessary discipline to be able to adapt to other future requirements.
- Get the chance to be promoted or to be given a raise in your job. There are many companies nowadays that reward their employees who do more that what is required of them when it comes to self-improvement. If it is known that you took the initiative to learn Spanish, then you would surely be noted and even given a raise for your effort. An employee who knows of a number of foreign languages is considered a great asset to a company.
- Get an opportunity to open to newer markets. If you are an owner of a small business and is currently learning Spanish, then in time you would be able to expand your customer base to include the Hispanic population. By acquiring the skill to be able to converse in Spanish, you are able to break the possible language barrier that you might have had with these clients.
- Get the chance to save money during travels to Hispanic places. When you get to travel, you would be able to use your Spanish skills in trying to haggle with Hispanic vendors when you are shopping. It is quite expected that these vendors would raise the prices of their goods, if they see that the buyer is a foreigner. But, if you speak their language, you will be able to save money by asking them to lower the price to one that is more reasonable.
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