Spanish Reflexive Verbs Explained

Reflexive verbs in Spanish express actions the subject performs on itself. The tell-tale sign is the -se suffix on the infinitive — llamarse, levantarse, dormirse. They’re used far more often in Spanish than in English, and some verbs change meaning completely in reflexive form.

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What Makes a Verb Reflexive

A reflexive verb pairs with a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject — the action reflects back onto the doer:

Subject	Reflexive pronoun
yo	me
tú	te
él/ella/usted	se
nosotros	nos
vosotros	os
ellos/ustedes	se

The pronoun goes before conjugated verbs, attached to infinitives and gerunds:

• Me llamo María. — My name is María. (lit: I call myself María)
• ¿Cómo te llamas? — What’s your name?
• Ella se llama Carmen. — Her name is Carmen.
• Voy a llamarme diferente. or Me voy a llamar diferente. — I’m going to call myself something different.

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Truly Reflexive: Action on Oneself

The most literal use — the subject does something to itself:

Daily routine verbs

• Me levanto a las siete. — I get up at seven. (I raise myself)
• Se ducha por la mañana. — He showers in the morning.
• Nos acostamos tarde. — We go to bed late.
• Te vistes muy rápido. — You get dressed very quickly.
• Me peino el cabello. — I comb my hair.
• Se afeita todos los días. — He shaves every day.

Verbs where reflexive = doing it to yourself

• lavar → lavarse — to wash → to wash yourself
• cortar → cortarse — to cut → to cut yourself
• mirar → mirarse — to look at → to look at yourself (in the mirror)
• preparar → prepararse — to prepare → to prepare yourself

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Reciprocal Actions (Each Other)

Plural reflexives can express reciprocal actions:

• Se quieren mucho. — They love each other very much.
• Nos vemos mañana. — We’ll see each other tomorrow. (also: “See you tomorrow!”)
• Se conocieron en la universidad. — They met each other at university.
• Os llamáis todos los días. — You (all) call each other every day.

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Verbs That Change Meaning in Reflexive Form

This is where reflexive verbs become truly interesting. Many Spanish verbs have non-reflexive and reflexive versions with completely different meanings:

Non-reflexive	Reflexive
ir — to go	irse — to leave, to go away
dormir — to sleep	dormirse — to fall asleep
poner — to put	ponerse — to put on (clothing); to become
hacer — to do/make	hacerse — to become
llamar — to call	llamarse — to be named
parecer — to seem	parecerse — to look like (resemble)
ir — to go	irse — to leave
volver — to return	volverse — to become
quedar — to stay/remain	quedarse — to stay (in a place)

Examples:

• El niño duerme. — The child is sleeping.
• El niño se duerme en el sofá. — The child falls asleep on the sofa.
• Pongo la mesa. — I set the table.
• Me pongo el abrigo. — I put on my coat.
• Se fue sin decir adiós. — He left without saying goodbye.
• ¿Te quedas a cenar? — Are you staying for dinner?

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Ponerse vs Hacerse vs Volverse (Becoming)

All three can mean “to become,” but with different nuances:

Verb	Use	Example
ponerse	Temporary emotional or physical change	Se puso nervioso. — He became nervous.
hacerse	Voluntary change (profession, religion)	Se hizo médico. — He became a doctor.
volverse	Involuntary personality change	Se volvió muy callado. — He became very quiet.
llegar a ser	Gradual achievement	Llegó a ser presidente. — He became president.

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Quick Reference

Type	Example	Meaning
Action on oneself	Me lavo las manos.	I wash my hands.
Daily routine	Se levanta a las ocho.	He gets up at eight.
Reciprocal	Se ayudan mucho.	They help each other a lot.
Changed meaning	Se fue.	He left. (ir = to go)
Becoming	Se puso triste.	She became sad.

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