The subject (doer) and the object (receiver) are the same person.
| Affirmative | Negative | | :--- | :--- | | las manos. (Wash your hands.) | No te laves las manos. | | Siéntate aquí. (Sit down here.) | No te sientes aquí. | 10. Common Mistakes to Avoid | ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct | Why? | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Yo se lavo. | Yo me lavo. | Pronoun must match subject (yo → me). | | Ella lava la cara. | Ella se lava la cara. | Without se , it means she washes something else. | | Nosotros lavamos nos. | Nosotros nos lavamos . | Pronoun goes before, not after. | | Tú despiertas a las 6. | Tú te despiertas a las 6. | Despertar (non-reflexive) means to wake someone else. | 11. Quick Summary Table | English | Spanish Reflexive | | :--- | :--- | | I wake up. | Yo me despierto . | | You (tú) shower. | Tú te duchas . | | He gets dressed. | Él se viste . | | We sit down. | Nosotros nos sentamos . | | They go to bed. | Ellos se acostan . | Final Tip: If the action is something you typically do to yourself (wash, dress, wake, sit), it's probably reflexive in Spanish. When in doubt, look for the -se ending on the infinitive ( lavarse , not lavar ). verbos reflexivos en español
| English | Spanish | | :--- | :--- | | I wash . | Yo me lavo. | | She sees herself . | Ella se ve. | 2. The Reflexive Pronouns These pronouns must match the subject. They go before the conjugated verb. The subject (doer) and the object (receiver) are