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Spanish Reflexive Pronouns: Me, Te, Se, Nos and Os

Learn how Spanish reflexive pronouns connect an action to the person performing it. This guide explains me, te, se, nos and os, reflexive verbs, daily routines, pronoun position, commands and important meaning changes such as ir versus irse.

Open pronoun table Practice examples
Core idea: the subject performs an action on itself: Me lavo, Te preparas, Se mira en el espejo.
Spanish reflexive pronouns me, te, se, nos and os
Reflexive pronouns are used with verbs such as lavarse, levantarse, llamarse and acostarse.

Definition

What are reflexive pronouns in Spanish?

Reflexive pronouns normally show that the subject and the object refer to the same person or group. The person performing the action also receives or experiences it.

Action on oneself

Me lavo.
I wash myself.

Personal routine

Te levantas temprano.
You get up early.

Personal state or identity

Se llama Ana.
Her name is Ana.

Not every verb with a reflexive pronoun describes a literal action on the body. Some reflexive forms express a routine, a change of state or a different lexical meaning.

Pronoun table

Spanish reflexive pronouns at a glance

The reflexive pronoun must match the grammatical subject.

Subject Reflexive pronoun Example with lavarse English meaning Usage note
yo me Me lavo. I wash myself. First-person singular.
tú te Te lavas. You wash yourself. Informal singular.
él / ella / usted se Se lava. He, she or you washes himself, herself or yourself. Third person or formal singular.
nosotros / nosotras nos Nos lavamos. We wash ourselves. First-person plural.
vosotros / vosotras os Os laváis. You all wash yourselves. Mainly used in Spain.
ellos / ellas / ustedes se Se lavan. They or you all wash themselves or yourselves. Third-person plural or ustedes.
Memory line: yo me · tú te · él se · nosotros nos · vosotros os · ellos se

Verb system

Reflexive pronouns with reflexive verbs

Spanish dictionaries show reflexive verbs with -se attached to the infinitive: lavarse, levantarse, ducharse, vestirse and acostarse.

When the verb is conjugated, remove the infinitive ending, conjugate the verb and select the reflexive pronoun that matches the subject.

Step 1

Start with the infinitive

levantarse

Step 2

Match the pronoun

yo → me

Step 3

Conjugate the verb

Me levanto.

Infinitive Conjugated example English meaning
levantarse Me levanto temprano. I get up early.
ducharse Te duchas por la mañana. You shower in the morning.
llamarse Se llama Ana. Her name is Ana.
acostarse Nos acostamos tarde. We go to bed late.
vestirse Se visten rápidamente. They get dressed quickly.

Continue with: Spanish Reflexive Verbs .

Word position

Where do reflexive pronouns go?

Reflexive pronouns follow the same basic placement rules as Spanish object pronouns.

Verb form Pronoun position Spanish example English meaning
Conjugated verb Before the verb Me levanto temprano. I get up early.
Compound tense Before the auxiliary Me he levantado. I have gotten up.
Infinitive Attached or before the conjugated verb Voy a levantarme.
Me voy a levantar. 		I am going to get up.
Gerund Attached or before the conjugated verb Estoy lavándome.
Me estoy lavando. 		I am washing myself.
Affirmative command Attached Levántate. Get up.
Negative command Before the verb No te levantes. Do not get up.
Placement rule: before conjugated verbs · attached to infinitives, gerunds and affirmative commands

Commands

Reflexive pronouns with affirmative and negative commands

Affirmative commands attach the reflexive pronoun to the end of the verb. Negative commands place it before the verb.

Verb Affirmative command Negative command English meaning
levantarse Levántate. No te levantes. Get up. / Do not get up.
sentarse Siéntate. No te sientes. Sit down. / Do not sit down.
prepararse Prepárate. No te prepares todavía. Get ready. / Do not get ready yet.
irse Vete. No te vayas. Leave. / Do not leave.

Everyday Spanish

Reflexive pronouns for daily routines

Reflexive verbs are especially common when describing routines, personal care and movements during the day.

Morning

despertarse

Me despierto a las siete.

Getting up

levantarse

Me levanto inmediatamente.

Personal care

ducharse

Me ducho por la mañana.

Clothing

vestirse

Me visto rápidamente.

Preparation

prepararse

Me preparo para trabajar.

Night

acostarse

Me acuesto a las once.

Body parts and clothing

Why Spanish says me lavo las manos

Spanish often uses a reflexive pronoun plus a definite article with body parts and clothing. English often uses a possessive adjective instead.

Spanish example Natural English Structure
Me lavo las manos. I wash my hands. me + las manos
Te cepillas los dientes. You brush your teeth. te + los dientes
Se pone la chaqueta. He or she puts on a jacket. se + la chaqueta
Nos quitamos los zapatos. We take off our shoes. nos + los zapatos
Spanish normally uses the definite article.

The reflexive pronoun already identifies whose body part or clothing is involved.

Meaning changes

Reflexive and non-reflexive verb meanings

Some verbs can appear with or without a reflexive pronoun. The reflexive form may indicate that the action returns to the subject, but it can also create a different meaning.

Non-reflexive form Reflexive form Meaning difference
Lavo el coche. Me lavo. I wash the car. / I wash myself.
Duermo ocho horas. Me duermo. I sleep for eight hours. / I fall asleep.
Voy al trabajo. Me voy. I go to work. / I leave.
Llamo a mi amigo. Me llamo Marcos. I call my friend. / My name is Marcos.
Pongo el libro en la mesa. Me pongo la chaqueta. I put the book on the table. / I put on the jacket.
Quedo con Ana. Me quedo en casa. I meet Ana. / I stay at home.

Plural meaning

Reflexive pronouns and reciprocal meaning

With plural subjects, nos and se can sometimes mean “each other” rather than “ourselves” or “themselves”.

Sentence Possible meaning Clarifying expression
Nos vemos. We see ourselves or each other. Nos vemos el uno al otro.
Se ayudan. They help themselves or each other. Se ayudan entre sí.
Nos escribimos. We write to each other. Context normally clarifies the meaning.
Se conocen. They know each other. Se conocen mutuamente.

Important distinction

Reflexive se and other uses of se

Se can be a reflexive pronoun, but not every occurrence of se has reflexive meaning.

Use Spanish example Meaning Reflexive?
Reflexive Se lava. He or she washes himself or herself. Yes.
Reciprocal Se ayudan. They help each other. Not strictly reflexive.
Impersonal Se vive bien aquí. People live well here. No.
Passive-like Se venden libros. Books are sold. No.
Replacement for le or les Se lo doy. I give it to him, her or them. No.
Compare these two sentences:

Se lava. — reflexive: he or she washes himself or herself.
Se lo doy. — object-pronoun combination: I give it to him, her or them.

Mini practice

Practice Spanish reflexive pronouns

Complete each exercise before opening the answer.

Exercise 1: choose the pronoun

  1. Yo ___ levanto temprano.
  2. Tú ___ duchas por la mañana.
  3. Ella ___ llama Marta.
  4. Nosotros ___ acostamos tarde.
Show answers

1. Yo me levanto temprano.
2. Tú te duchas por la mañana.
3. Ella se llama Marta.
4. Nosotros nos acostamos tarde.

Exercise 2: choose the position

  1. Voy a levantar temprano.
  2. Estoy lavando las manos.
  3. Levanta. — reflexive command
  4. No levantes. — reflexive command
Show answers

1. Voy a levantarme temprano or Me voy a levantar temprano.
2. Estoy lavándome las manos or Me estoy lavando las manos.
3. Levántate.
4. No te levantes.

Exercise 3: reflexive or non-reflexive?

  1. Lavo el coche.
  2. Me lavo las manos.
  3. Voy al centro.
  4. Me voy ahora.
Show answers

1. Non-reflexive: I wash the car.
2. Reflexive: I wash my hands.
3. Non-reflexive: I go downtown.
4. Reflexive or pronominal form: I am leaving now.

Common errors

Common mistakes with Spanish reflexive pronouns

  • Using the wrong pronoun: say yo me levanto, tú te levantas and ella se levanta.
  • Forgetting the reflexive pronoun: say Me llamo Ana, not Llamo Ana.
  • Putting the pronoun after a conjugated verb: say Me levanto, not Levanto me.
  • Using the wrong command structure: say Levántate but No te levantes.
  • Ignoring meaning changes: ir means “to go”, while irse normally means “to leave”.
  • Overusing possessive adjectives with body parts: Spanish normally says Me lavo las manos.
  • Assuming every se is reflexive: Se lo doy is not a reflexive structure.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Spanish reflexive pronouns

What are Spanish reflexive pronouns?

They are me, te, se, nos, os and se. They normally show that the subject performs an action on itself.

Where do reflexive pronouns go?

They normally go before a conjugated verb. They attach to infinitives, gerunds and affirmative commands.

What is the difference between lavar and lavarse?

Lavar means to wash another person or thing. Lavarse means to wash oneself or part of one’s own body.

Why does Spanish say me lavo las manos?

The reflexive pronoun me identifies whose hands are involved, so Spanish normally uses the definite article las rather than a possessive adjective.

Does se always mean himself or herself?

No. Se can be reflexive, reciprocal, impersonal, passive-like or a replacement for le and les before a direct-object pronoun.

What is the difference between ir and irse?

Ir normally means to go to a destination. Irse normally means to leave or go away.

Practice and support

Practise reflexive pronouns in complete sentences

Reflexive pronouns become easier when you practise daily routines, pronoun position, commands, body parts and meaning changes in real Spanish sentences.

Grammar support

Spanish Tutoring

Work on reflexive pronouns, homework, sentence correction and individual grammar problems.

Grammar overview

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