Verbs - Reflexive

Spanish uses reflexive verbs for an action one does to oneself.

As an example, if you are taking a shower, you are the one that is washing you. The reflexive verb is lavarse. The infinitive form of the verb includes se at the end to designate that it is a reflexive verb. In the first sentence below, I am washing my dog, and in the second, I am washing myself. If we hadn't told you about reflexive verbs, you probably would have read the sentence, and understood it anyway, without recognizing it as a reflexive verb.

Author's opinion: To be honest, I can't think of any reason to memorize a whole list of reflexive verbs. In most cases, if you know the infinitive of the verb for an action, and you want to use it as a reflexive verb, go ahead and do it.

Some examples of reflexive verbs are shown below: