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REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

You can see an explanation right there in the name: reflexive verbs and pronouns reflect back
to the subject who is doing the action. For this reason, the conjugation always matches the
subject of the sentence:

Nos fuimos Del concIerto temprano. (We left the concert early)
In Spanish, there are five reflexive pronouns:

 me
 te
 se
 nos
 and os (we don’t normally use this one here)

Note that se can function as a second- or third-person pronoun (usted or él/ella) as well as a


singular or plural pronoun (usted/ustedes or ellos/ellas).
In this example, both the verb conjugation (fuimos) and the reflexive pronoun (nos) match the
subject (we). That's why it's so important to know exactly what the subject is in any given
sentence.
Where Do You Place Spanish Reflexive Pronouns?

In the examples above, the reflexive pronouns were all placed directly in front of the reflexive
verb. This is the common and correct placement in many situations, but not all.

You have two options for pronoun placement.

Option 1: Before the Verb

Reflexive pronouns come before the verb, compound tense, or construction in all tenses
or moods except affirmative commands.
In these examples, notice that the reflexive pronoun comes before the entire verb phrase in cases
where estar or haber form the complete conjugation:
 In the subjunctive: Quiero que te diviertas. (I want you to have fun.)
 In the progressive: Se están quedando aquí. (They are staying here.)
 In the perfect tense: Ya me había mudado. (I had already moved.)
 In negative commands: No te preocupas. (Don't worry.)
 In the popular future: Nos vamos a casar. (We're going to get married.)

Option 2: After the Verb

In a few instances, the reflexive pronoun is actually attached to the end of the reflexive verb
itself:

 In affirmative commands: ¡Cálmate! (Calm down!)


 With gerunds: Están quedandose aquí. (They are staying here.)
 With the infinitive: Vamos a casarnos. (We're going to get married).
You probably noticed that the last two examples, the gerund and infinitive, are variations of
similar sentences from Option 1. That's because with gerunds and infinitives, you can choose
between either placement option.

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