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REFLEXIVE VERBS AND PRONOUNS

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REFLEXIVE VERBS AND PRONOUNS/USED RECIPROCALLY
Reflexive verbs are used to say that people do something to or for themselves. The same person performs and receives the action.
Each subject pronoun has its corresponding reflexive pronoun:

LISTEN


SUBJECT PRONOUN

Yo

Él, ella, usted
Nosotros(as)
Vosotros(as)
Ellos/ellas/ustedes

REFLEXIVE PRONOUN

me
te
se
nos
os
se

A reflexive pronoun is the same person, place, or thing as the subject.
Me corto el pelo     I cut my hair
The subject YO and the direct object pronoun Me are the same person.

Reflexive pronoun goes before the conjugated verb. Reflexive pronoun and the verb ending always match:
Me desperté     I woke up
Te despertaste     you woke up
Se despertó     he/she/you woke up

You know that a verb is reflexive if the infinitive form has se attached to it (peinarse, bañarse, cepillarse, etc). When the verb is conjugated, the se changes according to the subject of the verb:
Yo necesito peinarme     I need to comb my hair
necesitas bañarte     you need to shower
Él necesita cepillarse sus dientes     he needs to brush his teeth

When using a reflexive verb in the infinitive, we can put the reflexive pronoun either before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive.

Before the verb conjugated:
Te debes oponer     you should oppose

Attached to the end of the infinitive:
Debes oponerte     you should oppose

Some verbs have both reflexive and non-reflexive forms. Non-reflexive form is used when the action is being done to someone or something else.

Reflexive form:
Yo me baño    I bathe myself
In this sentence I perform and receive the action - The reflexive pronoun me is used.

Non-reflexive form:
Yo baño el perro     I bathe the dog
In this sentence I perform the action and the dog receives the action.

In the negative form, no is placed before the reflexive pronoun.
Yo no me peino el pelo     I do not comb my hair

MORE REFLEXIVE VERBS ...

aburrirse   to get bored
acostarse (o→ue)   to go to bed
afeitarse   to shave oneself
arreglarse el pelo   to fix one's hair
asustarse de   to be scared of
bañarse   to take a bath
caerse   to fall down
cepillarse los dientes   to brush one's teeth
cortarse el pelo   to cut one's hair
despertarse (e→ie)   to wake up
divertirse (e→ie)   to enjoy oneself

dormirse (o→ue)   to fall asleep
ducharse   to take a shower
lavarse el pelo   to wash one's hair
levantarse   to get up
maquillarse   to put on make up
peinarse   to comb one's hair
pintarse las uñas   to polish one's nails
ponerse la ropa   to put on the clothes
prepararse   to get ready
secarse   to dry
vestirse (e→i)   to get dressed

REFLEXIVE VERBS USED TO EXPRESS RECIPROCAL ACTIONS
Reflexive pronouns se and nos are also used to express the idea of each other.

Examples:
Mario y José se saludaron     Mario and José greet one another
Isabel y yo nos abrazamos     Isabel and I hug each other

You can also add the phrase el uno al otro or la una a la otra to emphasize the reciprocal meaning:
Los amigos se abrazaban el uno al otro     The friends hug each other