REFLEXIVE VERBS

Rules for conjugating the these Spanish language verbs

OK, here we go.  You've been reading some stuff about reflexive verbs, now let's look at some rules.  The following are the basic steps that your brain must do in order to manipulate these verbs to communicate the "reflexiveness" of an action:

Step 1.           levantarSE

• Find the correct verb – in its infinitive form with the reflexive pronoun se attached to the -AR, -ER or -IR ending – that conveys what you're trying to communicate.  As an example, let's say you're in your Study Abroad Spanish 201 class at the UACH, in Chihuahua, México and you're talking to your new friend, and you want to ask him/her at what time she/he gets outta bed on Saturday mornings, so you guys can make plans to go to the Copper Canyon.  So, we'll use the verb levantarse – a regular -AR verb – as our starting point, and conjugate it into the present tense.  Because it's your friend, and you're asking your question directly to him/her, we'll be using the tú conjugation of the verb in our example.

Step 2.            SE levantar

• The next step you take is to move the reflexive pronoun se out in front of the infinitive, and leave it there for a second, while you work with the infinitive verb.

Step 3.            SE levantas

• The next paso (that's "step" in Spanish!) is to conjugate the infinitive according to the subject of the sentence, in this case tú because she/he's our best bud.  You wanted to know about his/her getting-outta-bed-on- Saturday-mornings habit, so you conjugate it like this:

Step 4.            TE levantas

• Now, the final paso says that you have to change the reflexive pronoun SE to agree with the subject, which was the pronoun tú  Here's the list of reflexive pronouns from which you choose:

	me		nos
	te		os
	se		se

• Of course you chose te, because that's the reflexive pronoun that corresponds with the subject pronoun tú and you came up with a perfectly conjugated reflexive verb:  te levantas

Step 5.

• You can now insert your conjugated verb into the question: ¿A qué hora te levantas los sábados?

So, here's the basic rules without all the extra words:

1. Find the reflexive infinitive.
2. Move se to the front.
3. Conjugate infinitive according to sentence subject.
4. Change the se to agree with sentence subject.
5. Insert the verb into the sentence.

Alrighty-then. . .let's practice the 5 step method of creating good reflexive verbs before we actually start working with full-blown sentences, OK?  I'll give you the reflexive infinitive, the verb tense to use and the subject of the sentence, and you see if you can type in the correct form of the verb as we proceed through the 5 steps.  For example:

OK, let's try another one, then we'll switch: I'll give you the verb and you give me the rule.  YIKES!  Here we go:

	REFLEXIVE INFINITIVE VERB	TENSE	SENTENCE SUBJECT
	meterse	preterito	los estudiantes

Step 1.		meterse ????
Step 2.		se meter ????
Step 3.		se metieron ????
Step 4.		se metieron ????

Step 5.

Los estudiantes en problemas con el profesor por no hacer la tarea.

Los estudiantes se metieron en problemas con el profesor por no hacer la tarea. ????

Are you kinda gettin' it now?  Now, let's chat about what happens if there are two verbs in the sentence and one of them is a reflexive infinitive . . . or if it's a present participle situation and you're using a reflexive verb . . . or if it's an affirmative command situation using a reflexive verb . . . (are you starting to remember something?) or a negative command situation.  Uh-huh, that's right!  Didn't I tell you that we would be talking about the RULES OF PLACEMENT for pronouns again.  Now, if you haven't studied DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS and INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS and where they go in a sentence yet, then jump over to the DO/IO page and look at ‘em now, OK? RULES OF PLACEMENT