When creating a reflexive verb construction, you need a subject, a reflexive verb, and a reflexive pronoun, but not necessarily in that order. When you conjugate the reflexive verbs in English, you normally place the pronouns on either side of the conjugated verb. In other words, you say, “You bathe yourself.” But in Spanish, the order is, “you yourself bathe.”
The following table shows a reflexive verb given in all of its present tense conjugations.
| Yo | me baño |
| Tú | te bañas |
| él/ella/uno/una | se baña |
| Usted | se baña |
| Nosotros | nos bañamos |
| Vosotrosos | os bañáis |
| ellos/ellas | se bañan |
| Ustedes | se bañan |
Note: Two verbs that are used reflexively but vary slightly from the general definition of a reflexive verb are irse, which when used reflexively means “to go away,” and the verb comerse, which doesn’t mean “to eat oneself” but rather “to gobble up.”
The following table gives a list of some commonly used reflexive verbs:
| Spanish Verb (Used with a Reflexive Pronoun) | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Afeitarse | to shave oneself |
| Bañarse | to bathe oneself |
| casarse (con alguien) | to get married; to marry (someone) |
| Cepillarse (el pelo/los dientes) | to brush oneself (hair/teeth) |
| Ducharse | to take a shower |
| Enfermarse | to get sick |
| Enojarse | to get angry; mad |
| Irse | to go away |
| Lavarse | to wash oneself |
| Levantarse | to stand up; get up |
| Llamarse | to call oneself |
| Mirarse | to look at oneself |
| Peinarse | to comb one’s hair |
| Ponerse | to become |
| ponerse la ropa | to put on (clothing) |
| preocuparse por | to worry (about) |
| Quitarse | to take off, remove (clothing) |
| Secarse | to dry oneself |
| Verse | to see oneself |
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Él se seca después de que se ducha. (He dries himself after he showers [himself].)
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Nosotros nos cepillamos los dientes todos los días. (We brush our teeth every day.)