Spanish Reflexive Verbs for Your Daily Routine: me, te, se

To say “I get up at seven,” Spanish says Me levanto a las siete. The little word me refers back to the person doing the action. Many daily-routine verbs use these pronouns, even when English does not: me despierto means “I wake up.” These verbs are often taught together as reflexive verbs. In the present-tense sentences here, the pronoun matches the subject and goes before the verb.

The pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se

In the dictionary, a reflexive verb ends in -se: levantarse, ducharse, acostarse. When you use it, the -se becomes a separate pronoun that matches the person, and the verb itself takes its normal present-tense ending:

Se does double duty: it covers él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes. The vosotros form (os levantáis) is used in Spain; in Latin America, ustedes se levantan covers every plural “you.”

Verbs for your daily routine

These are the reflexive verbs you'll use most to describe an ordinary day:

Three stem changes to notice: despertarse changes e → ie (me despierto), vestirse changes e → i (me visto), and acostarse changes o → ue (me acuesto). These changes appear in all present-tense forms except nosotros and vosotros: nos despertamos, os vestís, nos acostamos. Learn the yo forms above first; the pronouns follow the same pattern throughout.

Not every routine verb needs a reflexive pronoun. For the basic meanings “eat,” “work” and “read,” use comer, trabajar and leer without one. An ordinary day mixes both kinds:

Regional note: in Mexico and many other Latin American countries, bañarse can also mean taking a shower. In Spain, it usually means taking a bath or bathing in the sea or a pool; ducharse specifically means taking a shower.

Where the pronoun goes

In the present-tense sentences in this guide, the pronoun comes right before the verb. In a negative sentence, no goes before the pronoun; in a question, the order stays the same:

A useful preview: with querer + infinitive, you have two options — Quiero levantarme temprano or Me quiero levantar temprano (“I want to get up early”). Attach the pronoun to the infinitive or put it before quiero. Both are correct; the pronoun still matches the subject.

Lavar vs lavarse

Many of these verbs also exist without -se. In the pairs below, the pronoun changes who the action affects: lavar is washing someone or something, while lavarse is washing yourself; despertar is waking someone up, while despertarse is waking up yourself.

The a in a mi hijo and al perro is the “personal a” Spanish puts before a person (and usually a pet) receiving the action.

Body parts take the article. When you wash, brush or dry part of yourself, the pronoun already shows whose it is, so Spanish normally uses el, la, los, las where English uses my:

Both lavarse los dientes and cepillarse los dientes mean brushing your teeth. Lavarse is common in Spain too; cepillarse explicitly refers to using a brush. You may hear either, depending on the speaker and region.

Common mistakes

Dropping the pronoun. To say “I get up,” you need me; levanto alone means “I lift” or “I raise” something.

Mixing up the person. In a reflexive use, the pronoun and verb ending refer to the same person: me goes with levanto, te with levantas.

Me levantas does exist, but it means “you get me up” or “you lift me” — not what the learner meant.

A possessive with body parts. Me already shows whose hands they are, so Spanish uses the article.

The triangle marks a less usual choice for a neutral everyday sentence. A possessive can occur for emphasis or contrast, so it is not always ungrammatical. For ordinary routines, use Me lavo las manos.

The pronoun after the verb. In these present-tense sentences, put the pronoun before the verb.

Quick exercise

Fill in the gap. For items 1–7, use the present tense of the verb in brackets (with a pronoun if it needs one); for item 8, add the missing word.

1. (Yo) ___ a las siete. (levantarse)
2. ¿A qué hora ___ (tú)? (ducharse)
3. Mi padre ___ todas las mañanas. (afeitarse)
4. Los domingos mis hermanos ___ tarde. (levantarse)
5. Nosotros ___ a las once. (acostarse)
6. ¿Vosotros ___ antes de desayunar? (vestirse)
7. Primero (yo) ___ a los niños y después me ducho. (bañar / bañarse)
8. Siempre me lavo ___ manos antes de comer.