Reflexive pronouns indicate that the action falls on the same subject that performs it. They are used with pronominal verbs and also with constructions in which the subject acts on itself, such as in the relationship between Pronouns and Pronominal verbs. Their form does not change for gender or number, but the verb does agree with the subject. Additionally, in Spanish they can appear as object pronouns, as marks of pronominal verbs, or as part of special constructions with an accidental or impersonal value.

The reflexive system uses a fixed set of forms that depend on the grammatical person. The form remains unchanged, although the verb changes according to the person and the number of the subject. In voseo, the reflexive form usually remains the same, while the verbal form may vary by region.

PersonaPerson	PronombrePronoun	EjemploExample
Primera singularFirst person singular	meme	Me lavo las manos.I wash my hands.
Segunda singularSecond person singular	tete	Te peinas antes de salir.You comb your hair before leaving.
Tercera singularThird person singular	sese	Se viste rápido.He or she gets dressed quickly.
Primera pluralFirst person plural	nosnos	Nos duchamos por la mañana.We shower in the morning.
Segunda pluralSecond person plural	osos	Os miráis en el espejo.You all look at yourselves in the mirror.
Tercera pluralThird person plural	sese	Se levantan temprano.They get up early.

The reflexive pronoun is usually placed before the conjugated verb, as is also the case with indirect object pronouns and the Double pronouns. When the verb goes in the infinitive, the pronoun attaches at the end; with the gerund, it may be attached or placed before the auxiliary verb. In the affirmative imperative, the pronoun is added at the end and may require an accent if the stress changes.

IdeaIdea	ExampleExample
Va antes del verbo conjugadoGoes before the conjugated verb	Te llamo ahora.Te llamo ahora.
Se une al infinitivoAttaches to the infinitive	Voy a lavarme.Voy a lavarme.
Puede ir unido al gerundioCan be attached to the gerund	Está lavándose.Está lavándose.
Puede ir antes del auxiliarCan go before the auxiliary	Se está lavando.Se está lavando.
Se añade al imperativo afirmativoAdded to the affirmative imperative	Lávate las manos.Lávate las manos.

The reflexive pronoun can mark an action that the subject does on themselves, such as combing or washing. It also appears in pronominal verbs that change meaning and are learned case by case, such as irse (to go away) or quejarse (to complain). In other constructions, it is used with a dative of interest or in accidental sequences, where the fact affects someone in an unintended way. Additionally, in combinations of pronouns, the group le or les changes to se before lo, la, los or las.

IdeaIdea	ExampleExample
Acción sobre sí mismoAction on oneself	Ella se peina cada mañana.She combs her hair every morning.
Verbo pronominalPronominal verb	Se fue temprano.Left early.
Dativo de interés accidentalAccidental dative of interest	Se me olvidaron las llaves.I forgot the keys.
Cambio le y les a seChange le and les to se	Se lo di ayer.I gave it to him yesterday.
Concordancia verbalVerbal agreement	Se levantaron tarde.They got up late.

The reflexive form maintains a small and stable list of pronouns, but its function is broad because it can signal apparent reciprocity, reflexivity, the pronominal value of the verb, or accidental constructions. The key is to recognize its position relative to the verb, understand that the pronoun does not mark gender or number, and observe that the verb always agrees with the subject. In sequences with other pronouns, the transformation of le and les to se allows maintaining the natural syntax of Spanish.