Madrigals Magic Key to Spanish (129 page)

ME	myself
SE	yourself, himself, herself, itself
NOS	ourselves
SE	yourselves, themselves

The pronouns precede the verbs in all the different tenses. But when the infinitive stands alone the pronoun is added on to it to form one word.

PESARSE,
to weigh yourself

PRESENT

PAST (PRETERITE)

FUTURE

PRESENT PERFECT

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

Verbs that are followed by “myself” are known as reflexive verbs. Reflexive verbs are verbs whose action is directed back upon the subject.

I kicked myself

The action is directed (reflects) back upon me. Therefore the verb is reflexive.

There are many more reflexive verbs in Spanish than there are in English. It is helpful to remember that many of the reflexive verbs that are commonly used in Spanish refer to a PHYSICAL action that is directed back upon the subject. Many of these physical verbs actually involve touching some part of your body.

EXAMPLES
:

PHYSICAL VERBS THAT ARE REFLEXIVE

bañarse,
to bathe
(
yourself, himself, herself, itself
)

lavarse,
to wash
(
yourself
)

peinarse,
to comb
(
yourself
)

secarse,
to dry
(
yourself
)

afeitarse,
to shave
(
yourself
)

pararse,
to stand
(
yourself
)
up, to stop
(
yourself
)

quitarse,
to take off
(
yourself
)

levantarse,
to get
(
yourself
)
up

ponerse,
to put on
(
yourself
)

sentarse,
to sit
(
yourself
)
down

acostarse,
to go
(
yourself
)
to bed

^*
dormirse,
to go
(
yourself
)
to sleep

^*
vestirse,
to dress
(
yourself
)

^*
desvestirse,
to undress
(
yourself
)

“Sentarse” and “acostarse” are radical changing.

^*
Don’t try to use the verbs that are marked with asterisks. They have irregularities that will be presented in later lessons. These
verbs have been included in the above list in order to give you a more complete concept of physical verbs that are reflexive. One of my pupils once said, “It’s easy for me to remember reflexive verbs because they’re the things I do when I’m getting ready for a party, such as bathe myself, dry myself, shave myself, comb myself, dress myself, and so forth.”

SOMETIMES THE SPANISH REFLEXIVE IS EQUIVALENT TO THE ENGLISH WORD “GET.”

EXAMPLES
:

N
OTE
: “Resfriarse” means to
catch cold
.

PONER,
to put, to set
(the table),
to lay
(an egg)

PAST (PRETERITE)

When “poner” is reflexive it becomes a physical verb and means “to put on.”

PAST
(
PRETERITE
)

PONERSE,
to put on