Reflexive Pronouns in Spanish Grammar
- Table of Spanish Reflexive Pronouns
- How to use reflexive pronouns
- Position of Reflexive Pronouns
- Online exercises to improve your Spanish
- Lingolia Plus Spanish
What are reflexive pronouns?
Reflexive pronouns (los pronombres reflexivos) are personal pronouns that are used with reflexive verbs.
Reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject and object are the same i.e. the subject is performing an action for himself/herself.
Learn about reflexive pronouns in Spanish grammar with Lingolia, then practise using them in the exercises.
Example

Me miro en el espejo.
Tengo que peinarme el pelo.
Mi madre se sorprenderá de lo guapo que estoy.
Table of Spanish Reflexive Pronouns
The table below shows the Spanish reflexive pronouns:
Person | Reflexive Pronoun | Example |
---|---|---|
yo | me | me peinoI brush my hair. |
tú | te | te peinasYou brush your hair. |
él/ella/usted | se | se peinaHe/She/You brush your hair. |
nosotros/-as | nos | nos peinamosWe brush our hair. |
vosotros/-as | os | os peináisYou brush your hair. |
ellos/-as | se | se peinanThey brush their hair. |
How to use reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs.
They indicate that the subject and the object of the sentence are one and the same (i.e. the person is carrying out an action on or for themselves).
The reflexive pronoun therefore always matches the subject.
- Example:
- (Yo) Me miro en el espejo.I’m looking at myself in the mirror.
Spanish has many more reflexive verbs than English, so it’s not always necessary to translate the reflexive pronoun.
- Examples:
- Tengo que peinarme el pelo.I have to comb my hair.
- Mi madre se sorprenderá de lo guapo que estoy.My mum will be amazed at how handsome I am.
Position of Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns can be placed:
- before a conjugated verb
- Example:
- La abuela se peina.The grandmother is combing her hair.
- before a negative imperative but directly after a positive one
- Example:
- ¡No te peines!Don’t comb your hair.
- ¡Péinate!Comb your hair.
- before the conjugated verb in a verbal periphrasis or attached to the end of the main verb
- Example:
- Ella se va a peinar. ↔ Ella va a peinarse.She is going to comb her hair.
- Me tendría que haber peinado. ↔ Tendría que haberme peinado.I should have combed my hair.
- Ella se está peinando. ↔ Ella está peinándose.She’s combing her hair.