How to conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish + 121 top examples

When you talk to yourself, do you ever do it in Spanish?

If so, you’d better be familiar with the Spanish reflexive verbs and how to properly conjugate them. These are verbs that involve actions that the subject does to itself, such as when you ask yourself a question when your teachers introduce themselves to the class, or when you teach yourself a new skill.

Although the concept of reflexive verbs is there in English, it is nowhere near as prevalent as in Spanish. Many verbs that aren’t reflexive in English are reflexive in Spanish, and there are many verbs that must be treated as reflexive verbs. That’s because English assumes the reflexive nature of the verbs when it’s obvious, like when you say you’re brushing your teeth. You don’t need to say “I’m brushing my teeth myself,” because the reflexive part is assumed. That’s not the case in Spanish, as some reflexive verbs have to be accompanied by the correct reflexive pronoun.

Rest assured that, even if this sounds like an advanced Spanish topic, reflexive verbs are extremely common in everyday language. Even basic verbs like despertarse (to wake up) are reflexive, so getting comfortable with these verbs will be useful even if you’re still a beginner at Spanish.

Plus, as you’ll see in the rest of this article, conjugating reflexive verbs in Spanish isn’t difficult at all. As long as you know which reflexive pronoun to use and where to place it, you can treat them like any other non-reflexive verb. But more on that later!

Can’t contain yourself from the excitement of learning about this fun new category of verbs? Let’s get started!

Table of contents

• What are reflexive verbs in Spanish?
• How to recognize reflexive verbs in Spanish?
• How to conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish
• List of the 121 most common reflexive verbs in Spanish
• Reflexive verb FAQs
• Spanish reflexive pronouns exercises

What are reflexive verbs in Spanish?

Reflexive verbs in Spanish help specify that the person or thing doing the action is also receiving the action. Think of the action reflecting back unto the doer — those are the reflexive verbs. English uses pronouns like myself, yourself, and oneself along with verbs to denote reflection, while Spanish uses the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos, se, and os. If you need a little refresher on pronouns, check out our quick guide to Spanish pronouns.

Reflexive verbs in their infinitive form always and in -se. For example:

• Lavarse
• Ponerse
• Cepillarse

If you take a close look at the verbs above, you might notice that they’re just regular verbs with the -se ending. That’s because most verbs can be turned into reflexive verbs with the appropriate reflexive pronoun. For example, let’s take the verb “lavarse” (to wash oneself). If we remove the -se ending, we’re left with “lavar.” This is a regular verb that simply means “to wash.” So, when washing yourself, you’ll have to use the reflexive form. Here are a few examples:

• Estaba tan cansada que me fui a dormir sin lavarme la cara. (I was so tired I went to sleep without washing my face)
• Mañana en la mañana voy a lavar ropa. (I’m going to wash clothes tomorrow morning)

We’ll get into this in more detail further below, but you should also be aware of the reflexive pronouns as conjugated reflexive verbs need them. These are the pronouns you should use when conjugating reflexive verbs:

How to recognize reflexive verbs in Spanish?

All reflexive verbs are accompanied by a reflexive pronoun. This pronoun may be either at the end of the verb, such as in the infinitive tense, or before the conjugated verb. This means that the location of the reflexive verb might not be the same in all cases, so you’ll have to look out for the reflexive pronoun. Take a look at the following example sentences:

• Mañana tengo que levantarme temprano para ir al aeropuerto. (I have to wake (myself) up early tomorrow to go to the airport)
• Mañana me tengo que levantar temprano para ir al aeropuerto. (I have to wake (myself) up early tomorrow to go to the airport)

Notice how, in the first example sentence, it’s very easy to tell that you’re dealing with a reflexive verb because the reflexive pronoun is right there at the end of the verb. However, in the second example, the reflexive pronoun is several words away from the verb! That means that you’ll have to train yourself very well to spot the reflexive pronouns.

How to conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish

Finally, after what may seem like a sort of complex introduction to the topic, we have some great news for you: reflexive verbs are conjugated exactly like non-reflexive verbs! So, if you already know how to conjugate verbs in Spanish, then you won’t have too much trouble conjugating reflexive verbs.

The only tricky part is knowing where to place the reflexive pronoun: at the end of the conjugated verb, or before. Luckily, the overwhelming majority of reflexive verbs just have the reflexive verb before the conjugated verb, following this pattern:

• Reflexive pronoun + conjugated verb

For example:

However, there are three situations where reflexive pronouns don’t have to go before the verb:

1. Regular commands

If you already know how to give commands in Spanish, then you may already know that conjugating verbs in the imperative tense will allow you to tack on the reflexive pronoun at the end of the article. However, this isn’t a strict requirement, as affirmative commands can go with the reflexive pronoun both before and after the verb. Here are some examples:

2. Progressive verbs

Progressive verbs describe actions that are still ongoing. Also known as the gerund tense (el gerundio), these verbs can have the reflexive pronouns both before and after the verb. Just keep in mind that, since gerunds go with a conjugated estar, you’ll have to place the reflexive pronoun before estar. Here are some examples:

3. Infinitive verbs

As you now know, reflexive verbs in the infinitive form always end in -se. So, you won’t have to worry about using a reflexive pronoun anywhere else when you’re dealing with an infinitive form of a reflexive verb. No matter the person you’re talking about, you can rest easy knowing that the verb will simply end in -se and that’s the end of it!

List of the 121 most common reflexive verbs in Spanish

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: a list of 121 of the most common reflexive verbs in Spanish! Here are some of the most common reflexive verbs in Spanish that will help you describe all kinds of situations and activities.

Reflexive verb FAQs

When do you use reflexive verbs?

You must use reflexive verbs any time the person is doing an action upon themself. Typically, this includes:

• Routines. Think of verbs like levantarse or dormirse.
• Motion. Verbs that indicate motion are generally reflexive, like irse, salirse, sentarse, etc.
• Emotions. Emotions tend to use the reflexive form, like sentirse and aburrirse.
• Reciprocals. These are the verbs where two people do something to each other, so they’re only reflexive in their plural forms.

Additionally, there are several verbs that are always reflexive, so you’ll always have to use a reflexive pronoun when you encounter them.

What Spanish verbs are always reflexive?

While most verbs in Spanish can have both reflexive and non-reflexive forms, there is a small list of Spanish verbs that are always reflexive. You cannot use them without a reflexive pronoun, so you must always take that into consideration. These are:

Does English have reflexive verbs like Spanish?

Yes and no. English has a far simpler form of reflexive verbs than Spanish, so, while the linguistic feature is there, it isn’t used nearly as frequently as in Spanish. English tends to omit the reflexive part of verbs very often, whereas Spanish tends to include it even when it is pretty self-evident that the verb is doing a reflexive action. So, when in doubt, use reflexive pronouns in Spanish.