Reflexive verbs
A verb is reflexive when the Subject and the Direct Object are the
same. The action of the verb is reflected back onto the subject
of the sentence.
I see you.
This verb is not reflexive because I
and you are not the same person.
I see myself
in the mirror.
This verb is reflexive because I and
myself are the same person.
Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject of the sentence is doing
something to himself / herself.
In English, the object is usually one of the following: myself,
yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, or themselves.
In Spanish, reflexive verbs have [se] attached to the infinitive in
the dictionary. Reflexive verbs have a Reflexive Pronoun in
front of the conjugated verb. Adding a Reflexive Pronoun will
change the meaning of the verb slightly.
DESPERTAR [ie]
to wake up someone [else]
DESPERTARSE [ie]
to wake up [yourself]
NOTE that despertar is a stem-changing [“shoe”] verb !!
Reflexive verbs are conjugated normally in whichever tense is
called for, then add the appropriate Reflexive Pronoun:
Yo
me despierto
nosotros
nos despertamos
tú
te despiertas
vosotros
os despertáis
Él / ella / Ud se despierta ellos / Uds
se despiertan
Yo despierto a mi hermano a las cinco.
I wake up my brother at five o’clock.
Yo me despierto a las cinco.
I wake [myself] up at five o’clock.
Bañar(se) to bathe (oneself)
Luisa baña el perro cada día.
Luisa bathes the dog every day.
Luisa se baña cada día.
Luisa bathes (herself) every day.