Spanish Reflexive Verbs: me, te, se and how they change meaning
Short answer
A reflexive verb sends the action back to the subject and carries me, te, se, nos, os, se: me levanto — I get myself up. The same pronoun also marks a change of state (se enfadó) and mutual actions (se abrazan).
Level A2 · verbs, pronouns
The rule in full
The subject does the action to itself. The infinitive ends in -se: levantarse.
| me levanto | nos levantamos | |
| te levantas | os levantáis | |
| se levanta | se levantan |
Where the pronoun goes
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| Before a conjugated verb | Me ducho. |
| Attached to an infinitive | Voy a ducharme. / Me voy a duchar. |
| Attached to a gerundio | Estoy duchándome. |
| Attached to a positive command | ¡Levántate! |
Meaning shifts
| Verb | Reflexive |
|---|---|
| ir (to go) | irse (to leave) |
| dormir (to sleep) | dormirse (to fall asleep) |
| llamar (to call) | llamarse (to be called) |
| poner (to put) | ponerse (to put on / become) |
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