Lesson 3.4

Me levanto y me ducho

I Get Up and Shower

In this lesson, you'll learn reflexive verbs — verbs where the action is done to yourself. Getting dressed, brushing your teeth, showering — these are all reflexive in Spanish. You'll notice a new pattern: a little pronoun (me, te, se) that goes before the verb. Let's learn to describe your personal care routine!

Learning tips

Reflexive verbs have a pronoun that matches the subject: me (I), te (you), se (he/she), nos (we), se (they).
Think of 'me ducho' as 'I shower myself' — the 'me' shows the action goes back to you.
The reflexive pronoun always goes BEFORE the conjugated verb: 'me ducho', NOT 'ducho me'.
Many daily routine verbs are reflexive in Spanish but not in English — this is one of the trickiest adjustments.

Warm-up & Active Recall

Recap: In lesson 3.3 you learned -er/-ir verb conjugation and days of the week. The endings for -er and -ir verbs are very similar — only the nosotros form differs (-emos vs. -imos).

Word	Meaning
lunes	Monday
martes	Tuesday
miércoles	Wednesday
jueves	Thursday
viernes	Friday
sábado	Saturday
domingo	Sunday
la semana	the week
hoy	today
mañana	tomorrow

Dialog

Valentina describes her evening routine using reflexive verbs. Notice the pattern: reflexive pronoun + conjugated verb. 'Me ducho' (I shower), 'me visto' (I get dressed), 'me peino' (I comb my hair). The pronoun changes with the subject: 'me' (I), 'te' (you), 'se' (he/she). Notice how 'antes' (before) and 'después' (after) help sequence the activities.

Valentina

Por la noche, después del trabajo, me ducho.

(In the night, after of-the work, self I-shower.)

At night, after work, I shower.

Andrés

Yo también. Después me visto y me peino.

(I too. After self I-dress and self I-comb.)

Me too. Then I get dressed and comb my hair.

Valentina

Antes de dormir, me cepillo los dientes y me lavo la cara.

(Before of to-sleep, self I-brush the teeth and self I-wash the face.)

Before sleeping, I brush my teeth and wash my face.

Andrés

¿Y a qué hora te acuestas?

(And at what hour you lie-down?)

And what time do you go to bed?

Valentina

Me acuesto a las diez de la noche. Después me duermo rápido.

(Self I-lie-down at the ten of the night. After self I-fall-asleep fast.)

I go to bed at ten at night. Then I fall asleep fast.

Andrés

Yo me acuesto tarde, a las once. Antes me lavo las manos.

(I self I-lie-down late, at the eleven. Before self I-wash the hands.)

I go to bed late, at eleven. Before that I wash my hands.

Valentina

¡Buenas noches! Me duermo ya.

(Good nights! Self I-fall-asleep already.)

Good night! I'm falling asleep now.

Vocabulary

Active words

Word	IPA	Translation	Note
ducharse	/duˈtʃaɾ.se/	to shower (oneself)	Reflexive — 'me ducho' (I shower)
vestirse	/besˈtiɾ.se/	to get dressed	Reflexive and stem-changing (e→i): 'me visto'
peinarse	/pejˈnaɾ.se/	to comb one's hair	Reflexive — 'me peino' (I comb my hair)
acostarse	/a.kosˈtaɾ.se/	to go to bed, to lie down	Reflexive and stem-changing (o→ue): 'me acuesto'
dormirse	/doɾˈmiɾ.se/	to fall asleep	Reflexive and stem-changing (o→ue): 'me duermo'
cepillarse	/se.piˈʎaɾ.se/	to brush (teeth/hair)	Reflexive — 'me cepillo los dientes' (I brush my teeth)
lavarse	/laˈβaɾ.se/	to wash (oneself)	Reflexive — 'me lavo las manos' (I wash my hands)
la noche	/la ˈno.tʃe/	the night	'Por la noche' = at night
después	/desˈpwes/	after, afterwards	Time connector — 'después de comer' = after eating
antes	/ˈan.tes/	before, beforehand	Time connector — 'antes de dormir' = before sleeping

Passive words

Word	IPA	Translation	Note
el jabón	/el xaˈβon/	the soap	Used for washing
la toalla	/la toˈa.ʎa/	the towel	Used after showering
el cepillo	/el seˈpi.ʎo/	the brush / toothbrush	'El cepillo de dientes' = toothbrush
el espejo	/el esˈpe.xo/	the mirror	Where you look when you 'te peinas'
el pijama	/el piˈxa.ma/	the pajamas	What you wear to bed — masculine in Latin American Spanish
la crema	/la ˈkɾe.ma/	the cream, lotion	Skincare product

Useful chunks

Word	Translation
me ducho	I shower
me acuesto	I go to bed

Pronunciation: The 'll' in 'cepillarse' is pronounced like a 'y' in most of Latin America: se-pi-YAR-se. In some regions of Colombia, it can sound more like a 'j' in English. This is different from Spain, where 'll' has a distinct sound. Practice: ce-pi-LLAR-se → se-pi-YAR-se.

Grammar: Reflexive verbs in present tense

Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun	ducharse	acostarse
yo	me	me ducho	me acuesto
tú	te	te duchas	te acuestas
él/ella/usted	se	se ducha	se acuesta
nosotros/as	nos	nos duchamos	nos acostamos
ellos/ellas/ustedes	se	se duchan	se acuestan

Reflexive verbs describe actions you do to yourself. In Spanish, they use a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject.

Reflexive pronouns: me (I/myself), te (you/yourself), se (he/she/yourself formal), nos (we/ourselves), se (they/themselves)

The pronoun goes BEFORE the conjugated verb:

'Me ducho' = I shower (myself)

'Te duchas' = You shower (yourself)

'Se ducha' = He/She showers (himself/herself)

Important: Some reflexive verbs have stem changes:

'acostarse' (o→ue): me acuesto, te acuestas, se acuesta

'vestirse' (e→i): me visto, te vistes, se viste

'dormirse' (o→ue): me duermo, te duermes, se duerme

With body parts: Spanish uses the article (el, la, los, las) instead of possessive adjectives:

'Me lavo las manos' (I wash my hands) — NOT 'mis manos'

'Me cepillo los dientes' (I brush my teeth) — NOT 'mis dientes'

Exercises

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence with the correct reflexive pronoun.

Yo ducho por la noche. (ducharse)(pronoun for 'yo')
Ella acuesta a las diez. (acostarse)(pronoun for 'ella')
Nosotros vestimos después de la ducha. (vestirse)(pronoun for 'nosotros')
Tú peinas antes de salir. (peinarse)(pronoun for 'tú')
Yo cepillo los dientes antes de dormir. (cepillarse)(pronoun for 'yo')

Grammar Application

Write the correct reflexive verb form for the given pronoun.

yo + ducharse → (me + ducho)
tú + acostarse → (te + acuestas — o→ue stem change)
ella + vestirse → (se + viste — e→i stem change)
nosotros + lavarse → (nos + lavamos)
ustedes + peinarse → (se + peinan)

Translation (English → Spanish)

Translate each sentence into Spanish.

I shower at night.
She goes to bed at ten.
We wash our hands before eating.
You get dressed after the shower.
I brush my teeth and fall asleep.

Creative Construction

Describe an evening routine using at least 3 reflexive verbs. Use 'antes' and 'después' to sequence activities.

Takeaway

Reflexive verbs use pronouns (me, te, se, nos, se) placed before the verb. They describe actions done to oneself: 'me ducho' (I shower), 'me acuesto' (I go to bed). With body parts, use articles instead of possessives: 'me lavo las manos' (I wash my hands).

Culture note: In Colombia, personal hygiene and grooming are very important. Many Colombians shower twice a day — once in the morning and once in the evening. Looking neat and well-groomed is considered a sign of respect for others. It's common to hear Colombians talk about 'arreglarse' (to get ready/fix oneself up) — this reflexive verb captures the whole process of showering, getting dressed, doing your hair, and looking presentable before leaving the house.

Explanations in: de en