Reflexive Verbs: levantarse, llamarse, ducharse

What You'll Learn

Understand what reflexive verbs are and when to use them
Use reflexive pronouns (me, te, se) with daily routine verbs
Form simple sentences with common reflexive verbs like levantarse and llamarse
Talk about your daily routine using reflexive verbs

Overview / Usage

Reflexive verbs describe actions that we do to ourselves. Think about English phrases like "I wash myself" or "She dressed herself" - in Spanish, these become much more common and natural-sounding than their English equivalents.

🪞 Reflexive Actions: Same Concept, Different Language

In English, we might say "I get up" or "I go to bed" - these actions happen to ourselves. Spanish makes this relationship explicit by using reflexive pronouns.

English:
"I get up at 7am"
"She washes her face"

Spanish:
"Me levanto a las 7"
"Se lava la cara"

The key difference is that Spanish uses special reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, se) to show that the action reflects back to the person doing it.

Structure & Formation

📋 The Reflexive Pronouns

me - myself
te - yourself
se - himself/herself/yourself (formal)

nos - ourselves
os - yourselves (Spain only)
se - themselves/yourselves (formal)

🌟 Common Reflexive Verbs for Daily Routine

despertarse

Me despierto a las 7

to wake up

ducharse

Se ducha por la mañana

to shower

vestirse

Nos vestimos rápido

to get dressed

peinarse

Te peinas muy bien

to comb one's hair

acostarse

Se acuestan tarde

to go to bed

llamarse

Me llamo María

to be called/named

📍 Reflexive Pronoun Position

Before Conjugated Verbs

Me levanto temprano

I get up early

Attached to Infinitives

Quiero ducharme

I want to shower

Examples

🏠 Daily Routine Conversation

¿A qué hora te levantas?

What time do you get up?

Me levanto a las siete

I get up at seven

¿Te duchas por la mañana?

Do you shower in the morning?

Sí, me ducho antes del desayuno

Yes, I shower before breakfast

Mi hermana se viste muy lentamente

My sister gets dressed very slowly

Nos acostamos a las once

We go to bed at eleven

Gotchas / Common Mistakes

❌ Don't Forget the Reflexive Pronoun

Wrong:Levanto a las siete

Correct:Me levanto a las siete

Without "me", you're saying "I lift something at seven" instead of "I get up at seven"

💡 Not All Verbs Are Always Reflexive

lavar (to wash) vs lavarse (to wash oneself)

Lavo el coche

I wash the car

Me lavo las manos

I wash my hands

Quick Test / Mini Quiz

Useful Resources

Coming soon...