- Master 40 essential reflexive verbs for everyday communication
- Learn daily routine verbs: levantarse, ducharse, vestirse, acostarse
- Express emotions: sentirse, divertirse, preocuparse, alegrarse
- Describe changes: hacerse, ponerse, quedarse
- Use reflexive verbs in practical, real-life contexts
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Extension to: Reflexive VerbsBeginner
40 Most Common Spanish Reflexive Verbs
Master essential reflexive verbs for daily life, emotions, and social situations
The rule at a glance
me · te · se · nos · os · se + verb
All 40 use the same pronouns: me levanto, te levantas, se levanta, nos levantamos, os levantáis, se levantan
Daily routine
levantarse
to get up
Me levanto a las siete.
I get up at seven.
Feelings
divertirse
to have fun
Me divierto con mis amigos.
I have fun with my friends.
Changes
ponerse
to become, get
Se pone nerviosa antes de los exámenes.
She gets nervous before exams.
Meaning changes
ir → irse
to go → to leave
¿Ya te vas?
Are you leaving already?
- The pronoun matches the subject and goes before the conjugated verb, or on the end of an infinitive: Prefiero ducharme por la noche.
- Some change meaning: ir (to go) vs irse (to leave), dormir (to sleep) vs dormirse (to fall asleep).
- Watch the de: acordarse de, olvidarse de and darse cuenta de need it: Me acuerdo de ti (I remember you).
What You'll Learn
Overview
Reflexive verbs are verbs where the subject performs an action on themselves. In Spanish, these verbs use reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) to show that the subject and object are the same person.
For example, Me lavo means "I wash myself" – the person washing (I) and the person being washed (myself) are the same.
Key Points About Reflexive Verbs
- Pronouns match the subject: yo me, tú te, él/ella se, nosotros nos, vosotros os, ellos se
- Placement: Before conjugated verbs or attached to infinitives/gerunds
- Many are daily routine verbs: getting up, washing, getting dressed
- Some change meaning: ir (to go) vs irse (to leave)
Want to learn more about how reflexive verbs work? Check out our comprehensive reflexive verbs grammar guide.
Daily Routine
14 verbs
Identity & Change
4 verbs
Movement & Location
3 verbs
Positive Emotions
4 verbs
Negative Emotions
5 verbs
Mental States
5 verbs
Social & Life Events
5 verbs
Deep Dive
Daily Routine (14 verbs)
levantarseto get up
Me levanto a las siete
I get up at seven
¿A qué hora te levantas?
What time do you get up?
despertarseto wake up
Me desperté a las seis
I woke up at six
El bebé se despierta llorando
The baby wakes up crying
ducharseto shower
Me ducho por la mañana
I shower in the morning
Prefiero ducharme por la noche
I prefer to shower at night
bañarseto bathe
Los niños se bañan cada noche
The children bathe every night
Me encanta bañarme en la playa
I love bathing at the beach
lavarseto wash oneself
Me lavo las manos
I wash my hands
Nos lavamos los dientes
We brush our teeth
cepillarseto brush
Me cepillo los dientes tres veces
I brush my teeth three times
Se cepilla el pelo
She brushes her hair
peinarseto comb one's hair
Me peino frente al espejo
I comb my hair in front of the mirror
Los niños se peinaron
The children combed their hair
afeitarseto shave
Me afeito cada dos días
I shave every two days
Mi padre se afeita por la mañana
My father shaves in the morning
maquillarseto put on makeup
Me maquillo para ocasiones especiales
I put on makeup for special occasions
Se maquilla todos los días
She puts on makeup every day
vestirseto get dressed
Me visto rápidamente
I get dressed quickly
Los niños todavía no saben vestirse
Children don't know how to dress yet
prepararseto get ready
Me preparo para el examen
I'm preparing for the exam
Nos preparamos para salir
We're getting ready to leave
secarseto dry oneself
Me seco con una toalla
I dry myself with a towel
Se seca el pelo con secador
She dries her hair with a hairdryer
acostarseto go to bed
Me acuesto a las once
I go to bed at eleven
Los niños se acuestan temprano
The children go to bed early
dormirseto fall asleep
Me duermo rápidamente
I fall asleep quickly
El bebé se durmió en mis brazos
The baby fell asleep in my arms
Identity & Change (4 verbs)
llamarseto be called
Me llamo María
My name is María
¿Cómo te llamas?
What's your name?
ponerseto put on / become
Me pongo el abrigo
I put on my coat
Se pone nerviosa antes de exámenes
She gets nervous before exams
hacerseto become
Me hice profesor
I became a teacher
Nos hicimos amigos
We became friends
quedarseto stay / remain
Me quedo en casa los domingos
I stay home on Sundays
Nos quedamos sin dinero
We ran out of money
Movement & Location (3 verbs)
irseto leave
Me voy a casa
I'm leaving for home
¿Ya te vas?
Are you leaving already?
mudarseto move (house)
Me mudo el próximo mes
I'm moving next month
Mi familia se mudó a Barcelona
My family moved to Barcelona
sentarseto sit down
Me siento en la primera fila
I sit in the front row
Nos sentamos en el parque
We sit in the park
Positive Emotions (4 verbs)
sentirseto feel
Me siento muy feliz
I feel very happy
¿Cómo te sientes?
How do you feel?
divertirseto have fun
Me divierto con mis amigos
I have fun with my friends
Los niños se divirtieron
The children had fun
alegrarseto be happy/glad
Me alegro de verte
I'm happy to see you
Se alegró con la noticia
She was happy with the news
relajarseto relax
Me relajo escuchando música
I relax listening to music
Nos relajamos en la playa
We relax on the beach
Negative Emotions (5 verbs)
preocuparseto worry
Me preocupo por mi familia
I worry about my family
No te preocupes
Don't worry
enfadarse/enojarseto get angry (enojarse in Latin America)
Me enfado cuando llegan tarde
I get angry when they arrive late
Mi jefe se enfadó
My boss got angry
aburrirseto get bored
Me aburro en reuniones largas
I get bored in long meetings
Los estudiantes se aburren
The students get bored
asustarseto get scared
Me asusté con el ruido
I got scared by the noise
Se asusta viendo terror
She gets scared watching horror
cansarseto get tired
Me canso después de correr
I get tired after running
Nos cansamos subiendo
We got tired climbing
Mental States (5 verbs)
acordarse (de)to remember
Me acuerdo de mi infancia
I remember my childhood
¿Te acuerdas de ella?
Do you remember her?
olvidarse (de)to forget
Me olvidé de comprar leche
I forgot to buy milk
Se olvida de todo
He forgets everything
darse cuenta (de)to realise
Me di cuenta del error
I realised the mistake
¿Te diste cuenta?
Did you realise?
concentrarseto concentrate
Me concentro mejor por la mañana
I concentrate better in the morning
No puedo concentrarme
I can't concentrate
equivocarseto make a mistake
Me equivoqué de dirección
I got the wrong direction
Nos equivocamos
We made a mistake
Social & Life Events (5 verbs)
encontrarseto meet / be located
Me encuentro con amigos
I meet with friends
El museo se encuentra en el centro
The museum is in the centre
casarseto get married
Me casé hace cinco años
I got married five years ago
Se casa el próximo verano
She gets married next summer
despedirseto say goodbye
Me despido de mis compañeros
I say goodbye to my colleagues
Nos despedimos con un abrazo
We said goodbye with a hug
reunirseto meet / gather
Me reúno con mi equipo cada lunes
I meet with my team every Monday
Nos reunimos en Navidad
We gather at Christmas
graduarseto graduate
Me gradúo el próximo año
I'm graduating next year
Se graduó con honores
He graduated with honours
Examples
Here are some practical scenarios showing reflexive verbs in everyday conversations:
Morning Routine
Me despierto a las siete, me levanto, me ducho y me visto.
I wake up at seven, get up, shower, and get dressed.
Expressing Emotions
Me siento feliz cuando me divierto con mis amigos, pero me preocupo cuando llegan tarde.
I feel happy when I have fun with friends, but I worry when they arrive late.
Life Changes
Me gradué, me mudé a otra ciudad y me casé el año pasado.
I graduated, moved to another city, and got married last year.
Mental States
Me acuerdo de la cita, pero me olvidé de la hora. Me di cuenta demasiado tarde.
I remember the appointment, but I forgot the time. I realised too late.
Try it now:Reflexive verbs practice →
Common Mistakes
Common Mistakes to Avoid
✗ Yo llamo María
✓ Me llamo María
Llamarse needs the reflexive pronoun
✗ Yo acuerdo de ti
✓ Me acuerdo de ti
Acordarse needs both pronoun AND de
✗ El bebé duerme en el sofá (fell asleep)
✓ El bebé se durmió en el sofá
Dormir = sleep state; Dormirse = fall asleep
✗ Yo voy ahora (I'm leaving)
✓ Me voy ahora
Ir = to go (destination); Irse = to leave (departure)
Reflexive Pronoun Quick Reference
yo
me
tú
te
él/ella/Ud.
se
nosotros
nos
vosotros
os
ellos/Uds.
se
Put it into practice
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