SPA112: Reflexive Verbs...

I LOVE Reflexive Verbs for 2 reasons:

1. They drive students nuts (once they learn that you can  make ALMOST any verb Reflexive by adding -se to the end, you get some pretty funny verbs.
2. They're just fun to teach.

Technical Definition:
Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject of the sentence has performed an action on itself.

What does that mean? That means, we use reflexive verbs when the subject is the same as the object.

Not as Technical Definition:
Reflexive verbs are used when the direct or indirect object of a sentence is the same as the subject. Not so common in English, but used frequently in Spanish, Reflexive verbs describe actions that a person does to, for, from, or off him or herself. Key here is "-self." Reflexive Verbs are used to indicate "oneself." I did it myself. She bathed herself. ...

Not technical at all:
Think about your hands or the hands of the subject of the sentence... now think of the placement of the hands of the subject... if the hands are on the subject, then it's reflexive and if the hands are anyplace else other than the subject... it's not reflexive.

Examples:

• I wash my car.   Where are my hands?  On the car, therefore NOT reflexive.
• I wash my hair.  Where are my hands?  On my hair, on my body, therefore REFLEXIVE 
• Jane dressed her doll.  Where are Jane's hands? On her doll, therefore NOT reflexive
• Jane got dressed.       Where are Jane's hands? On her clothes, on her body, therefore REFLEXIVE

When a verb is reflexive in Spanish, the verb ends in "-se."
Lavar - to wash   ...   Lavarse - to wash oneself

Now looking at the above examples.

• I wash my car.   Uses the Spanish verb:  Lavar
• I wash my hair.  Uses the Spanish verb:  Lavarse

Before you panic, the conjugation of Reflexive Verbs is EASY, you just have to remember that there are 3 parts to the verb now, instead of 2.

LAVARSE - to wash oneself

1. AR:  the word family... no panic here, because you've already mastered conjugating -ar verbs in the present tense and you are on the path to conquering them in the preterit. Endings are the same = no worries.
2. LAV: the stem... no panic here, because finding the stem is the same no matter what type of verb we are conjugating... it's ALWAYS the letters RIGHT BEFORE the -ar, the -er, or the -ir. Stem = piece of cake.
3. SE: the SIGNAL for reflexive verbs... STILL no panic, this will be only thing "new" you'll have to learn, the Reflexive Pronouns. Reflexive Pronouns go IN FRONT of the conjugated verb, JUST like your Direct Object Pronouns and the Indirect Object Pronouns... doesn't that take away a bit of the stress!

Reflexive Pronouns

• me  (may) ...  myself
• te  (tay) ...  yourself (friend, informal)
• se (say) ... himself/herself/yourself (stranger, formal, respectful, old person...)
• nos ... ourselves
• * os ... yourselves (Spain)
• se ... themselves/yourselves (Latin America)

 I hope this helps...

 

Ciao