Pronominal Verbs

All pronominal verbs use reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se).

They must agree with the subject of the sentence.

Category 1: True Reflexive Verbs (Action reflects back on the subject)

These verbs describe actions the subject does to themselves.
Examples:

  • lavarse – to wash oneself
    → Me lavo las manos. (I wash my hands.)
  • cepillarse – to brush oneself
    → Tengo que cepillarme los dientes. (I have to brush my teeth.)
  • sentarse (e→ie) – to sit down
    → ¿Puedo sentarme aquí? (Can I sit here?)
  • levantarse – to get up
    → Tienes que levantarte temprano. (You have to get up early.)
  • acostarse (o→ue) – to go to bed
    → Tengo que acostarme temprano. (I have to go to bed early.

Verbs: lavarse, cepillarse, sentarse, levantarse, acostarse, ducharse (to shower), peinarse (to comb one’s hair), vestirse (to get dressed), despertarse (to wake up), maquillarse (to put on makeup)

  1. I wake up at seven every morning. (despertarse)
  2. She showers before going to work. (ducharse)
  3. We get dressed quickly. (vestirse)
  4. He combs his hair every morning. (peinarse)
  5. You (informal) put on makeup before going out. (maquillarse)
  6. They wash their faces after exercising. (lavarse)
  7. I brush my hair before leaving. (cepillarse)
  8. He gets up at six o’clock. (levantarse)
  9. We go to bed after dinner. (acostarse)
  10. They sit down at the table to study. (sentarse)

Category 2: Reciprocal Verbs (Action between two or more people)

These show that the subject performs the action on each other.
Examples:

  • abrazarse – to hug each other
    → Nos abrazamos. (We hug each other.)
  • ayudarse – to help each other
    → Los hombres se ayudan. (The men help each other.)

Verbs: abrazarse (to hug each other), ayudarse (to help each other), saludarse (to greet each other), besarse (to kiss each other), despedirse (to say goodbye to each other), conocerse (to know each other), mirarse (to look at each other), pelearse (to fight with each other), entenderse (to understand each other), respetarse (to respect each other)

  1. The friends greet each other every morning. (saludarse)
  2. They kiss each other before leaving. (besarse)
  3. We always help each other with our work. (ayudarse)
  4. The two children fight with each other sometimes. (pelearse)
  5. The neighbors say goodbye to each other every afternoon. (despedirse)
  6. My sister and I understand each other very well. (entenderse)
  7. The couple respects each other deeply. (respetarse)
  8. They hug each other every time they meet. (abrazarse)
  9. We look at each other and smile. (mirarse)
  10. They have known each other since childhood. (conocerse)

Category 3: Inherently Pronominal Verbs

These verbs exist only in the pronominal form. They are not reflexive and cannot be used
without se.
Examples:

  • quejarse de – to complain about
    → Carlos se queja de todo. (Carlos complains about everything.)
    → Quiero quejarme del ruido. (I want to complain about the noise.)
  • arrepentirse de (e→ie) – to regret
    → Nos arrepentimos de nuestra decisión. (We regret our decision.

Category 3: Inherently Pronominal Verbs with a variety of common pronominal verbs for practice:

Verbs: quejarse de (to complain about), arrepentirse de (to regret), darse cuenta de (to realize), portarse bien/mal (to behave well/badly), olvidarse de (to forget about), enamorarse de (to fall in love with), acordarse de (to remember), atreverse a (to dare to), enojarse con (to get angry with), divertirse (to have fun)

  1. She complains about the noise in the building. (quejarse de)
  2. I regret not going to the concert. (arrepentirse de)
  3. We realized the truth too late. (darse cuenta de)
  4. They behaved badly at the restaurant. (portarse mal)
  5. He forgot about the meeting. (olvidarse de)
  6. She fell in love with him immediately. (enamorarse de)
  7. Do you remember the first time we met? (acordarse de)
  8. He dared to speak in front of everyone. (atreverse a)
  9. I got angry with my friend. (enojarse con)
  10. We had fun at the party last night. (divertirse)

Category 4: Pronominal for Passive Voice

Pronominal verbs can be used impersonally to create passive constructions—often seen
in signs and general statements.
Examples:

  • Se habla español. (Spanish is spoken.)
  • Se venden boletos. (Tickets are sold.)
  • Se cocina la comida. (The food is cooked.)

This usage avoids mentioning the doer of the action and emphasizes the action itself.

Category 4: Pronominal for Passive Voice with a variety of common passive constructions for practice:

Verbs: hablarse (to be spoken), venderse (to be sold), alquilarse (to be rented), buscarse (to be sought), necesitarse (to be needed), cocinarse (to be cooked), limpiarse (to be cleaned), prepararse (to be prepared), prohibirse (to be prohibited), permitirse (to be allowed)

  1. Spanish is spoken here. (hablarse)
  2. Tickets are sold at the entrance. (venderse)
  3. Apartments are rented in this building. (alquilarse)
  4. Volunteers are needed for the event. (necesitarse)
  5. The food is cooked every day. (cocinarse)
  6. The house is cleaned every weekend. (limpiarse)
  7. Fresh bread is prepared in that bakery. (prepararse)
  8. Smoking is prohibited in this area. (prohibirse)
  9. Pets are allowed in the park. (permitirse)
  10. Jobs are being sought for the new project. (buscarse)

Category 5: Pseudo-Reflexive Verbs (Emotions and mental states)

These verbs don’t reflect a literal action but express changes in emotional or psychological
states.
Examples:

  • enojarse – to get angry
    → Me enojo fácilmente cuando no duermo bien. (I get angry easily when I don’t sleep
    well.)
  • alegrarse – to get happy
    → Me alegro cuando te veo. (I get happy when I see you.)

Contrast with non-pronominal verbs:

  • enojar – to anger
    → El tráfico me enoja. (Traffic makes me angry.)
  • alegrar – to make happy
    → Tu visita me alegra. (Your visit makes me happy.)

Category 5: Pseudo-Reflexive Verbs (Emotions and mental states) with a variety of common verbs for practice:

Verbs: enojarse (to get angry), alegrarse (to get happy), asustarse (to get scared), emocionarse (to get excited), preocuparse (to get worried), aburrirse (to get bored), ponerse nervioso (to get nervous), sentirse (to feel), cansarse (to get tired), frustrarse (to get frustrated)

  1. I get angry when people are rude. (enojarse)
  2. She gets happy when she sees her dog. (alegrarse)
  3. He gets scared during horror movies. (asustarse)
  4. We get excited when we travel. (emocionarse)
  5. They get worried when their children are sick. (preocuparse)
  6. I get bored easily when there is nothing to do. (aburrirse)
  7. She gets nervous before important meetings. (ponerse nervioso)
  8. He feels sad when he listens to that song. (sentirse)
  9. We get tired after a long day of work. (cansarse)
  10. They get frustrated when the internet is slow. (frustrarse)

Category 6: Meaning Changes in Pronominal Form

Some verbs change meaning depending on whether they are used pronominally or not.
Examples:

  • dormir vs. dormirse
    → María duerme ocho horas. (María sleeps 8 hours.)
    → Me dormí en el sofá. (I fell asleep on the couch.)
  • ir vs. irse
    → Voy al parque. (I go to the park.)
    → Ya me voy. (I’m leaving now.)
  • parecer vs. parecerse a
    → Parece que va a llover. (It seems like it’s going to rain.)
    → María se parece a su madre. (María resembles her mother.)

Category 6: Meaning Changes in Pronominal Form with a variety of common verbs that shift meaning in their pronominal form:

Verbs: dormirse (to fall asleep), irse (to leave), parecerse a (to look like), encontrarse (to find oneself / to feel), olvidarse de (to forget), llevarse (to get along), quedarse (to stay / to remain), perderse (to get lost), acordarse de (to remember), ponerse (to become/get in terms of mood or state)

  1. I fell asleep while watching the movie. (dormirse)
  2. She is leaving the party early. (irse)
  3. He looks like his father. (parecerse a)
  4. We found ourselves lost in the city. (encontrarse)
  5. They forgot about the appointment. (olvidarse de)
  6. We get along very well. (llevarse)
  7. I stayed at home during the storm. (quedarse)
  8. He got lost in the forest. (perderse)
  9. She remembered to bring the keys. (acordarse de)
  10. I get nervous before interviews. (ponerse)