Reflex Rabbit

Reflex Rabbit

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How do reflexive verbs work in Spanish (me levanto, me voy)?

Put the pronoun in the right place every time — and say your day out loud.

GRAMMAR PACK · 6 LESSONS · B2

A reflexive verb carries a pronoun that matches its subject — me, te, se, nos, se: Me levanto a las siete (I get up at seven). The pronoun goes before a conjugated verb; with an infinitive or gerund you have two equally correct options — attach it (Voy a ducharme) or move it before the helper (Me voy a duchar). The pronoun often changes the meaning: dormir (sleep) vs dormirse (fall asleep), ir vs irse (leave), poner (put) vs ponerse (put on). And with body parts, Spanish uses the article, not a possessive: me lavo las manos, never mis manos.

Below: pronoun placement, the meaning-shift pairs, sequencing a full routine — and how you practise it by narrating your actual day in conversation, not with pronoun drills.

Say this

The phrases that carry the conversation

Common reflexive verbs in present tense

  • Me levanto a las siete todos los días.I get up at seven every day.
  • ¿Te duchas por la mañana o por la noche?Do you shower in the morning or at night?
  • Se viste rápido porque llega tarde.He/she gets dressed quickly because he/she is running late.
  • Nos acostamos a las once normalmente.We usually go to bed at eleven.

Pronoun placement with infinitives and gerunds

  • Voy a ducharme antes de salir.I'm going to shower before going out.
  • Me voy a duchar antes de salir.I'm going to shower before going out.
  • Está vistiéndose ahora mismo.He/she is getting dressed right now.
  • Se está vistiendo ahora mismo.He/she is getting dressed right now.

Reflexive vs non-reflexive meaning shifts

  • Voy al trabajo. / Me voy, adiós.I'm going to work. / I'm leaving, bye.
  • Duermo ocho horas. / Me dormí en clase.I sleep eight hours. / I fell asleep in class.
  • Pongo la mesa. / Me pongo el abrigo.I set the table. / I put on my coat.
  • Llamo a mi madre. / Me llamo Carlos.I call my mother. / My name is Carlos.

Regional Spanish

What locals actually say

Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.

Watch out

Mistakes that mark you as a textbook speaker

  1. Dropping pronounsalways include with reflexives (Me levanto, not *Levanto for 'I get up')
  2. Misplacing with infinitives/gerundsattach to end or place before helper (Voy a ducharme OR Me voy a duchar)
  3. Overusing reflexive where not needednote verb meaning shift (dormir = sleep vs dormirse = fall asleep)

The part no drill site can do

No flashcards. You learn it by using it

Carla, &Be grammar teacher

Carla

Your grammar teacher for this pack

There are no pronoun drills here. In the Reflex Rabbit lessons you talk, and Carla gets you narrating the routines where reflexives live: your real morning (primero me levanto y luego me ducho), getting ready for an event, your wind-down before bed (antes de acostarme, me lavo los dientes). Then she plays with the pairs that trip everyone — me dormí en el sofá versus plain dormir — until the little pronoun starts placing itself.

Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.

Finish the 6 lessons and Reflex Rabbit is yours — earned, not given.

Download on the App Store First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is a reflexive verb in Spanish?

One whose pronoun matches the subject because the action loops back onto it: Me levanto (I get up), ¿Te duchas por la mañana o por la noche? (do you shower in the morning or at night?). Drop the pronoun and the meaning breaks — it's Me levanto, not levanto, for 'I get up'.

Where does the reflexive pronoun go?

Before a conjugated verb. With infinitives and gerunds, either attached or before the helper — Voy a ducharme and Me voy a duchar are both right. Commands: attach when affirmative (¡Levántate!), separate when negative (No te acuestes tarde).

What's the difference between dormir and dormirse?

Dormir = to sleep, dormirse = to fall asleep: Duermo ocho horas vs Me dormí en clase. The same shift powers ir / irse (go / leave), poner / ponerse (set / put on) and llamar / llamarse (call / be called).

Why is it 'me lavo las manos' and not 'lavo mis manos'?

With body parts and clothing, the reflexive pronoun already says whose they are, so Spanish uses the definite article: me lavo las manos (I wash my hands), me pongo el abrigo (I put on my coat).

How do reflexive verbs work in the past?

Same pronouns, past endings: Ayer me levanté muy temprano (preterite, one event); De niño me duchaba antes de cenar (imperfect, a past habit).