What are Spanish reflexive verbs?

Verbs where the subject and object are the same: me lavo = I wash myself. Marked by reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) before the verb. Cover daily routines, emotions, reciprocal actions, and many idiomatic uses.

When do I use reflexive verbs?

Use reflexive when: (1) subject performs action on themselves (me ducho), (2) subject and another perform reciprocal action (nos abrazamos), (3) describing emotions or changes (me enojo, me enfermo), (4) with verbs that are lexically reflexive (irse, dormirse, atreverse).

Where do reflexive pronouns go?

Before conjugated verbs (me lavo). Attached to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands (lavarme, lavándome, ¡lávate!). Before negative commands (no te laves). With conjugated verb + infinitive, can be either: voy a lavarme OR me voy a lavar.

How can I master reflexive verbs?

Drill daily-routine verbs first (most common). Notice reflexive patterns in Spanish content (movies, podcasts). Practice with all 6 pronoun forms (me, te, se, nos, os, se). Parrot's videos surface natural reflexive usage in real conversations.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Spanish Reflexive Verbs: 50+ Examples Across Categories

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Reflexive verbs use me, te, se, nos, os, se before the verb when the subject and object are the same (me lavo = I wash myself). They cover daily routines (levantarse, ducharse), emotions (enojarse, alegrarse), reciprocal actions (besarse, abrazarse), and many lexical reflexives (irse, dormirse). 50+ examples here.

Me levanto a las siete. Me lavo los dientes.

I get up at seven. I brush my teeth.

What it is

Reflexive verbs in Spanish are verbs where the subject performs an action on themselves. They're marked by reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) and cover daily routines, emotions, reciprocal actions, and many idiomatic uses.

Me lavo la cara (I wash my face = wash myself). Compare: Lavo el coche (I wash the car, non-reflexive, subject ≠ object).

How to spot it

Look for me / te / se / nos / os / se before the verb. Reflexive infinitives end in -se: levantarse, ducharse, sentirse. The pronoun matches the subject: yo me levanto, tú te levantas, él se levanta.

Me levanto a las siete. — I get up at seven.
Se llama María. — She's called María.
Nos abrazamos. — We hug each other.

Reflexive pronouns ALWAYS match the subject: yo > me, tú > te, él / ella / usted > se, nosotros > nos, vosotros > os, ellos / ellas / ustedes > se.

Spanish Reflexive Verbs Examples Quick Reference

Reflexive pronouns and verb categories

Pronoun	Subject	Example
me	yo	me levanto
te	tú	te levantas
se	él / ella / usted	se levanta
nos	nosotros / nosotras	nos levantamos
os	vosotros / vosotras	os levantáis
se	ellos / ellas / ustedes	se levantan
Category 1	Daily routine	levantarse, ducharse, vestirse
Category 2	Emotions / feelings	enojarse, alegrarse, sentirse
Category 3	Reciprocal (each other)	besarse, abrazarse, verse
Category 4	Lexical / idiomatic	irse, dormirse, atreverse

Common Spanish Reflexive Verbs Examples Examples in Spanish

Reflexive verbs in real contexts:

Daily Routine (Most Common)

Me levanto a las siete.: I get up at seven.
Me ducho cada mañana.: I shower every morning.
Te lavas los dientes.: You brush your teeth.
Se viste rápido.: He gets dressed quickly.
Nos peinamos antes de salir.: We comb our hair before going out.
Se afeita los lunes.: He shaves on Mondays.
Me acuesto a las once.: I go to bed at eleven.

Daily routine verbs are the most common reflexives. Levantarse, ducharse, vestirse, lavarse, peinarse, afeitarse, acostarse are essential vocabulary.

Emotions and Feelings

Me siento bien hoy.: I feel good today.
Se enojó conmigo.: She got mad at me.
Te alegras por mí.: You're happy for me.
Nos preocupamos por los niños.: We worry about the kids.
Se aburre fácilmente.: He gets bored easily.
Me canso después del trabajo.: I get tired after work.
Se asustaron con el ruido.: They got scared by the noise.

Many emotion verbs are reflexive in Spanish: sentirse, enojarse, alegrarse, preocuparse, aburrirse, cansarse, asustarse, divertirse.

Reciprocal Actions (Each Other)

Nos abrazamos al verlas.: We hugged when we saw them.
Se besan al despedirse.: They kiss when saying goodbye.
Nos llamamos todos los días.: We call each other every day.
Se conocieron en la universidad.: They met each other in college.
Nos escribimos cartas largas.: We write each other long letters.
Se ayudan mucho.: They help each other a lot.
Nos miramos sin decir nada.: We looked at each other without saying anything.

Reflexive pronouns can also mean each other (reciprocal). Context distinguishes: Nos lavamos = we wash ourselves OR we wash each other. Reciprocal use requires plural subject.

Lexical / Idiomatic Reflexives

Me voy a las cinco.: I'm leaving at five.
Me dormí en el sofá.: I fell asleep on the couch.
Se ríe mucho.: She laughs a lot.
Me atreví a hablar.: I dared to speak.
Se quejan del calor.: They complain about the heat.
Me arrepiento de mis palabras.: I regret my words.
Se especializa en cardiología.: He specializes in cardiology.

Many verbs are reflexive in form but don't translate as 'oneself.' Irse (to leave), dormirse (to fall asleep), reírse (to laugh), atreverse (to dare), quejarse (to complain), arrepentirse (to regret) are common.

Change of State (Become)

Me enfermé la semana pasada.: I got sick last week.
Se hizo médico.: He became a doctor.
Se puso rojo de vergüenza.: He turned red with shame.
Nos volvimos amigos.: We became friends.
Se quedó dormido en clase.: He fell asleep in class.
Te convertiste en una gran persona.: You became a great person.
Se hicieron ricos.: They got rich.

Reflexive verbs of becoming / changing state: enfermarse (get sick), hacerse, ponerse, volverse, quedarse, convertirse. Each has slightly different nuance.

Reflexive Pronoun Placement

Me lavo. (before conjugated verb): I wash myself.
Voy a lavarme / Me voy a lavar. (before / after infinitive): I'm going to wash myself.
Estoy lavándome / Me estoy lavando. (before / after gerund): I'm washing myself.
¡Lávate! (attached to affirmative command): Wash yourself!
No te laves. (before negative command): Don't wash yourself.
Quiero ducharme. (after infinitive): I want to shower.
Tengo que levantarme. / Me tengo que levantar.: I have to get up.

Reflexive pronouns: before conjugated verbs, attached to infinitives / gerunds / affirmative commands, before negative commands. Can move between conjugated verb + infinitive freely.

Reflexive Verb Recipe

Match the Pronoun to the Subject

Yo > me, tú > te, él/ella/usted > se, nosotros > nos, vosotros > os, ellos/ellas/ustedes > se. Pronoun must agree with subject, always.

Yo me, tú te, él se, etc.

Pronoun matches subject.

Pronoun = subject.

Place Pronoun Before Conjugated Verb

In simple conjugated forms, place the reflexive pronoun BEFORE the verb: Me lavo. Te peinas. With infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands, attach the pronoun: Lavarme. Lavándome. ¡Lávate!

Me lavo. Lavarme. ¡Lávate!

Pronoun placement varies.

Conjugated = before; inf./ger./aff. cmd = attached.

Some Verbs ONLY Exist as Reflexive

Some verbs are only reflexive: atreverse (to dare), arrepentirse (to regret), quejarse (to complain), suicidarse (to commit suicide), jactarse (to boast). You can't say *atrevo, only me atrevo.

atreverse, arrepentirse, quejarse, jactarse.

Always reflexive.

Only-reflexive verbs.

Reflexive Can Change Meaning

Some verbs change meaning when reflexive: ir (to go) / irse (to leave). Dormir (to sleep) / dormirse (to fall asleep). Llamar (to call) / llamarse (to be called). Aprender (to learn) / aprenderse (to memorize).

ir vs. irse. dormir vs. dormirse.

Meaning shift.

Reflexive shifts meaning.

Common Mistakes with Spanish Reflexive Verbs Examples

Incorrect: Yo levanto a las siete. — I get up at seven.

Correct: Yo me levanto a las siete. — I get up at seven.

Levantarse (to get up) is reflexive. Without the reflexive pronoun, levanto means 'I lift / raise something else' (transitive). Always use me with the daily-routine sense.

Incorrect: Me llamo es María. — My name is María.

Correct: Me llamo María. — My name is María.

Me llamo = I call myself / I'm called. No need for es. Don't translate literally from English 'my name IS.' Spanish uses the verb llamarse.

Incorrect: Voy a me lavar. — I'm going to wash.

Correct: Voy a lavarme. (or: Me voy a lavar.) — I'm going to wash.

With infinitives, the reflexive pronoun attaches to the END of the infinitive (lavarme) OR can move before the conjugated verb (me voy a lavar). Never insert it between voy a and the infinitive.

Reflexive vs. Non-Reflexive Pairs

Contrastive Pairs

Many verbs exist in both reflexive and non-reflexive forms with different meanings. Lavarse (wash oneself) / lavar (wash something else). Levantarse (get oneself up) / levantar (lift something). Ir (go somewhere) / irse (leave). Dormir (sleep) / dormirse (fall asleep). Llamar (call) / llamarse (be called).

Me lavo / Lavo el coche.: I wash myself / I wash the car.
Me levanto / Levanto el sofá.: I get up / I lift the couch.
Voy al gimnasio. / Me voy del gimnasio.: I go to the gym. / I leave the gym.
Duerme bien. / Se duerme rápido.: He sleeps well. / He falls asleep quickly.
Llamo a María. / Me llamo María.: I call María. / I'm called María.
Aprendo español. / Me aprendí el vocabulario.: I learn Spanish. / I memorized the vocab.

These pairs are common. The pattern: non-reflexive = subject acts on something else; reflexive = subject acts on themselves OR meaning shifts entirely (irse, dormirse).

Spanish Reflexive Verbs Examples FAQs

What are Spanish reflexive verbs?: Verbs where the subject and object are the same: me lavo = I wash myself. Marked by reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) before the verb. Cover daily routines, emotions, reciprocal actions, and many idiomatic uses.
When do I use reflexive verbs?: Use reflexive when: (1) subject performs action on themselves (me ducho), (2) subject and another perform reciprocal action (nos abrazamos), (3) describing emotions or changes (me enojo, me enfermo), (4) with verbs that are lexically reflexive (irse, dormirse, atreverse).
How do reflexive pronouns agree?: Reflexive pronouns ALWAYS match the subject: yo → me, tú → te, él/ella/usted → se, nosotros → nos, vosotros → os, ellos/ellas/ustedes → se. The pronoun changes; the verb conjugation is regular for the subject.
Where do reflexive pronouns go?: Before conjugated verbs (me lavo). Attached to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands (lavarme, lavándome, ¡lávate!). Before negative commands (no te laves). With conjugated verb + infinitive, can be either: voy a lavarme OR me voy a lavar.
How can I master reflexive verbs?: Drill daily-routine verbs first (most common). Notice reflexive patterns in Spanish content (movies, podcasts). Practice with all 6 pronoun forms (me, te, se, nos, os, se). Parrot's videos surface natural reflexive usage in real conversations.