Where do I put me, te, se in a sentence?

Before a conjugated verb: me levanto, se durmió, no te preocupes. With an infinitive or gerund you can attach it or move it forward: voy a ducharme = me voy a duchar; está peinándose = se está peinando. With affirmative commands it must be attached, and the word often needs a written accent: siéntate, lávate, date prisa. With negative commands it goes before: no te sientes ahí.

Why do Spanish speakers say "me lavo las manos" instead of "mis manos"?

Because the reflexive pronoun already tells you whose hands they are. With body parts and clothes, Spanish uses the definite article: me lavo las manos, se quitó los zapatos, sécate el pelo. "Me lavo mis manos" sounds redundant and marks you instantly as a learner.

What's the difference between dormir and dormirse, ir and irse?

The pronoun often changes the meaning. Dormir is to sleep (dormí ocho horas); dormirse is to fall asleep (me dormí en el sofá). Ir is to go somewhere (voy al centro); irse is to leave (ya me voy). Same with levantar (to lift something) versus levantarse (to get up), and poner (to put) versus ponerse (to put on).

Should I learn enojarse or enfadarse, bañarse or ducharse?

Enojarse is the normal verb in Mexico and most of Latin America; enfadarse is standard in Spain, and both are understood everywhere. For washing, Spain distinguishes ducharse (shower) from bañarse (bath), while in Mexico bañarse covers the daily shower. Likewise enfermarse is Latin American; in Spain you'd hear ponerse enfermo, and apurarse replaces darse prisa in much of America. Pick the variety you're learning and stay consistent.

Spanish Reflexive Verbs: 40 Everyday Verbs for A2

🇪🇸 Spanish · 40 cards · A2 · by Lucía Herrera

These are the 40 reflexive verbs my students actually need in their first year, taken straight from my tutoring notebook. The deck starts with the morning routine (levantarse, ducharse, vestirse), moves into feelings (sentirse, enojarse, aburrirse) and finishes with the verbs for mistakes and life events (equivocarse, mudarse, casarse).

Three things trip people up. First, the pronoun moves: me lavo, but voy a lavarme and lávate. Second, many of these verbs stem-change (acostarse → me acuesto, vestirse → me visto, sentarse → me siento), so learn the yo form with the card. Third, the pronoun often changes the meaning: dormir is to sleep, dormirse is to fall asleep. I also flag where Spain and Mexico use different verbs, because that is where half the confusion comes from.

1 / 40

How to use this deck

Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.

The Reji iPhone app is being rebuilt and returns to the App Store soon.

All 40 cards

#	Spanish	English	Example
1	llamarse Literally "to call oneself". The most common reflexive verb of all.	to be called, to be named	¿Cómo te llamas? What's your name?
2	levantarse Without the pronoun, levantar means to lift something.	to get up, to stand up	Me levanto a las siete todos los días. I get up at seven every day.
3	despertarse Stem change e→ie: me despierto, te despiertas. despertar a alguien = to wake someone else up.	to wake up	Anoche me desperté tres veces. Last night I woke up three times.
4	ducharse With voy a, the pronoun can go either way: voy a ducharme / me voy a duchar.	to take a shower	Voy a ducharme antes de salir. I'm going to shower before going out.
5	lavarse With body parts use the article (las manos), never mis manos.	to wash (oneself)	Lávate las manos antes de comer. Wash your hands before eating.
6	bañarse In Mexico and most of Latin America bañarse normally means to shower.	to take a bath, to shower, to swim	Los niños se bañan por la noche. The kids have their bath at night.
7	peinarse Without the pronoun: peinar a alguien (to comb someone else's hair).	to comb one's hair, to do one's hair	No tuve tiempo de peinarme. I didn't have time to do my hair.
8	afeitarse In Mexico rasurarse is just as common.	to shave	Mi hermano se afeita cada dos días. My brother shaves every two days.
9	maquillarse Without the pronoun: maquillar a alguien (to do someone's makeup).	to put on makeup	Casi nunca me maquillo entre semana. I hardly ever wear makeup during the week.
10	vestirse Stem change e→i: me visto, se viste.	to get dressed	Vístete rápido, que llegamos tarde. Get dressed quickly, we're going to be late.
11	ponerse Also for changes of state: se puso nervioso (he got nervous).	to put on (clothes), to get (+ adjective)	Ponte un abrigo, hace frío. Put a coat on, it's cold.
12	quitarse Regular -ar verb, no stem change. Opposite of ponerse: me pongo / me quito la chaqueta.	to take off (clothes)	¿Me quito los zapatos? Should I take my shoes off?
13	probarse Stem change o→ue: me pruebo. Probar without the pronoun = to taste or to test.	to try on	¿Puedo probarme estos pantalones? Can I try on these trousers?
14	secarse Without the pronoun: secar la ropa (to dry the clothes).	to dry oneself, to dry (one's hair)	Sécate bien el pelo, hace viento. Dry your hair well, it's windy.
15	arreglarse Implies dressing up a bit, not just getting dressed.	to get ready, to do oneself up	Tardo media hora en arreglarme. It takes me half an hour to get ready.
16	sentarse Stem change e→ie: me siento. Formal command: siéntese. Careful: me siento also means "I feel" (sentirse) — context decides.	to sit down	Siéntate aquí, por favor. Sit here, please.
17	acostarse Stem change o→ue: me acuesto, se acuesta.	to go to bed, to lie down	Entre semana me acuesto temprano. On weekdays I go to bed early.
18	dormirse dormir = to sleep; dormirse = the moment you drop off.	to fall asleep	Me dormí viendo la película. I fell asleep watching the film.
19	irse ir = to go somewhere; irse stresses leaving the place you're in.	to leave, to go away	Ya me voy, hasta mañana. I'm off now, see you tomorrow.
20	quedarse Also quedarse con algo = to keep something.	to stay	¿Te quedas a cenar? Are you staying for dinner?
21	darse prisa Common in Spain. In Mexico and most of Latin America: apurarse (apúrate).	to hurry up	Date prisa, que sale el tren. Hurry up, the train is leaving.
22	sentirse Followed by an adjective or adverb: me siento cansada, me siento bien. Stem change e→ie.	to feel (a certain way)	Hoy me siento mucho mejor. I feel a lot better today.
23	divertirse Stem change e→ie: me divierto. Preterite: se divirtió.	to have fun, to enjoy oneself	Nos divertimos muchísimo en la fiesta. We had a great time at the party.
24	aburrirse Without the pronoun: esta película me aburre (this film bores me).	to get bored	Los niños se aburren sin internet. The kids get bored without the internet.
25	enojarse Latin America. In Spain people say enfadarse.	to get angry	Mi jefe se enojó por el retraso. My boss got angry about the delay.
26	preocuparse preocuparse por / de algo. "No te preocupes" is an everyday phrase.	to worry	No te preocupes, todo va a salir bien. Don't worry, everything will be fine.
27	reírse Keep the accent: me río, te ríes, nos reímos. reírse de alguien = to laugh at someone.	to laugh	Nos reímos toda la tarde. We laughed all afternoon.
28	quejarse quejarse de algo.	to complain	Siempre se queja del tráfico. He's always complaining about the traffic.
29	cansarse cansarse de algo also means to get fed up with something.	to get tired	Me canso al subir tantas escaleras. I get tired climbing so many stairs.
30	acordarse Stem change o→ue: me acuerdo. Always acordarse DE algo; recordar means the same but takes no de (no recuerdo su apellido).	to remember	No me acuerdo de su apellido. I can't remember his surname.
31	olvidarse Very common alternative: se me olvidó el paraguas (I forgot the umbrella).	to forget	Me olvidé de llamar a mi madre. I forgot to call my mother.
32	darse cuenta Needs de: darse cuenta de algo, darse cuenta de que... Never use realizar for this.	to realize, to notice	No me di cuenta de la hora. I didn't realize what time it was.
33	equivocarse equivocarse de + noun = to get the wrong (bus, number, day). Spelling: c→qu in me equivoqué.	to be wrong, to make a mistake	Perdón, me equivoqué de puerta. Sorry, I got the wrong door.
34	perderse Stem change e→ie: me pierdo. Also perderse algo = to miss something: me perdí el partido.	to get lost	Nos perdimos buscando el restaurante. We got lost looking for the restaurant.
35	caerse Preterite: me caí, se cayó. Se me cayó el vaso = I dropped the glass.	to fall down, to fall over	Se cayó de la bici, pero está bien. He fell off his bike, but he's fine.
36	enfermarse Latin America. In Spain: ponerse enfermo / caer enfermo.	to get sick	Mi hija se enfermó del estómago. My daughter got a stomach bug.
37	casarse casarse CON alguien, never casarse a.	to get married	Se casan el año que viene. They're getting married next year.
38	enamorarse enamorarse DE alguien.	to fall in love	Se enamoró de una compañera de trabajo. He fell in love with a coworker.
39	mudarse For moving objects use mover; for moving home, mudarse.	to move (house), to relocate	El mes que viene nos mudamos a otra ciudad. Next month we're moving to another city.
40	despedirse Stem change e→i: me despido. despedirse de alguien.	to say goodbye	Se despidió de todos y se fue. She said goodbye to everyone and left.

Lucía Herrera

Native Spanish · Speaks English, Portuguese

Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.

Published 17 Sept 2026

Questions about this deck

Where do I put me, te, se in a sentence?: Before a conjugated verb: me levanto, se durmió, no te preocupes. With an infinitive or gerund you can attach it or move it forward: voy a ducharme = me voy a duchar; está peinándose = se está peinando. With affirmative commands it must be attached, and the word often needs a written accent: siéntate, lávate, date prisa. With negative commands it goes before: no te sientes ahí.
Why do Spanish speakers say "me lavo las manos" instead of "mis manos"?: Because the reflexive pronoun already tells you whose hands they are. With body parts and clothes, Spanish uses the definite article: me lavo las manos, se quitó los zapatos, sécate el pelo. "Me lavo mis manos" sounds redundant and marks you instantly as a learner.
What's the difference between dormir and dormirse, ir and irse?: The pronoun often changes the meaning. Dormir is to sleep (dormí ocho horas); dormirse is to fall asleep (me dormí en el sofá). Ir is to go somewhere (voy al centro); irse is to leave (ya me voy). Same with levantar (to lift something) versus levantarse (to get up), and poner (to put) versus ponerse (to put on).
Should I learn enojarse or enfadarse, bañarse or ducharse?: Enojarse is the normal verb in Mexico and most of Latin America; enfadarse is standard in Spain, and both are understood everywhere. For washing, Spain distinguishes ducharse (shower) from bañarse (bath), while in Mexico bañarse covers the daily shower. Likewise enfermarse is Latin American; in Spain you'd hear ponerse enfermo, and apurarse replaces darse prisa in much of America. Pick the variety you're learning and stay consistent.

Tags:verbs

Spanish Reflexive Verbs: 40 Everyday Verbs for A2

All 40 cards

Questions about this deck

More Spanish decks: spanish verbs

100 Most Common Spanish Verbs (with yo & tú forms)

Irregular Spanish Verbs: 40 You Really Need (A2)

Spanish -AR Verbs: 50 Essentials for Beginners

Spanish -ER Verbs: 40 Essentials for Beginners

Spanish -IR Verbs: 40 Essential Verbs for Beginners

Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs (e→ie, o→ue, e→i)

100 Basic Spanish Words for Beginners (A1)

Colors in Spanish: 25 Words with Gender Rules