Recursio
Lesson 36. Mornings: me levanto
10 words in this lesson
Tap 🔊 and repeat out loud. These words come back in the dialogue and the exercises below.
reflexive verbs: me levanto, te acuestas
Verbs ending in -se
Some verbs are listed in the dictionary with -se on the end: levantarse, ducharse, acostarse. These verbs take a short pronoun that changes with the person. It can describe doing something to yourself, as in lavarse la cara; English doesn’t always use myself or yourself here (I get up, I shower).
When you conjugate the verb, -se becomes a separate word in front of it and changes with the person:
| levantarse — to get up | |
|---|---|
| yo | me levanto |
| tú | te levantas |
| él, ella, usted | se levanta |
| nosotros | nos levantamos |
| vosotros | os levantáis |
| ellos, ustedes | se levantan |
The verb endings are the usual ones, as in trabajar (lesson 7).
You already know one
Me llamo Lucía from lesson 1 is the reflexive verb llamarse: literally, “I call myself Lucía.” ¿Cómo te llamas? works the same way.
Stem changes
The stem changes from lesson 28 still apply:
- acostarse: me acuesto, te acuestas, but nos acostamos;
- despertarse: me despierto, te despiertas;
- vestirse: me visto, te vistes.
Lavar and lavarse
- Lavo la camisa. — I wash the shirt (something else);
- Me lavo la cara. — I wash my face (myself).
With parts of the body, Spanish usually uses the article, not my: Me lavo los dientes. — “I brush my teeth.”
Me levanto a las siete. — I get up at seven.
¿A qué hora te acuestas? — What time do you go to bed?
Nora se ducha por la mañana. — Nora showers in the morning.
Me lavo los dientes. — I brush my teeth.
Lavo la camisa. — I wash the shirt.
Dialogue
Listen to each line and repeat it. Try to understand it before you look at the translation.
Javier Nora, ¿a qué hora te levantas? Nora, what time do you get up?
Nora Los lunes, a las siete. Tengo clase a las nueve. On Mondays, at seven. I have class at nine.
Javier ¡Muy temprano! ¿Te duchas por la mañana? That's really early! Do you shower in the morning?
Nora Sí. Me ducho, me visto y tomo un café. Yes. I shower, get dressed and have a coffee.
Javier Yo me levanto tarde, a las diez. I get up late, at ten.
Nora ¿Y a qué hora te acuestas? And what time do you go to bed?
Javier Muy tarde, a la una. Very late, at one.
Nora Yo me acuesto a las once. I go to bed at eleven.
Check yourself
Listen. What did you hear?
1. How do you say “I get up at seven”?
2. How do you ask a friend “What time do you go to bed?”
3. How do you say “Nora showers in the morning”?
4. How do you say “I wash my face”?
Match each word with its translation
Build the sentence: “I get up at seven”
Build the sentence: “I brush my teeth”
What you can do now
- Say when you get up: Me levanto a las siete.
- Ask: ¿A qué hora te acuestas?
- Describe your morning: Me ducho y me visto.
- Talk about someone else: Nora se ducha por la mañana.
Key phrases of the lesson:
Me levanto a las siete.
¿A qué hora te acuestas?
Nora se ducha por la mañana.
Day 36 of 100. Next up: the following lesson.
Lesson 37. Always, sometimes, hardly ever →The course is the first step. Next comes the Recursio app: short daily practice with spaced review.