Unit 6: Pronouns (Part 1), imperfect tense, adverbs
6.2 Verbs Used Reflexively versus Non-Reflexively
Many of the verbs listed in section 6.1 may be used reflexively (with the reflexive pronoun) or non-reflexively (without the pronoun). The reflexive pronoun is used, logically, when one does the action to oneself. It is omitted when one does the action to someone else. Study the pairs below:
| Me levanto. | I get up. |
| Levanto a mi hija. | I get my daughter up. |
| Ella se lava la cara. | She washes her face. |
| Ella lava a los niños. | She washes the children. |
| Me siento. | I sit down. |
| Siento a los niños. | I sit the children down. |
| Se viste. | She gets dressed (dresses herself). |
| Viste a los actores. | She dresses the actors. |
| Se corta. | He/She/You cuts/cut himself/herself/yourself. |
| Corta el césped. | He/She/You cuts/cut (mows/mow) the lawn. |
