Reflexive verbs indicate an action that falls upon the subject itself, so the one who performs the action also receives it. This relation is marked by reflexive pronouns such as me, te, se, nos and vos, which attach to the verb to show this return of the action to the subject, in contrast with non-reflexive uses treated in Verbs and in Reflexive pronouns. The construction can appear in different tenses, moods and varieties of Portuguese, with pronoun placement variable between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese.

Reflexive pronouns agree with the grammatical person of the subject and indicate that the action is directed at the subject itself. The form of the pronoun is determined by the verbal person and remains stable in verbs of any conjugation, which facilitates the identification of reflexive value when it appears together with the verb.

PessoaPerson.	PronomePronoun.	ExemploExample.
Primeira pessoaFirst person.	meme.	Eu me lavo antes de sairI wash myself before leaving.
Segunda pessoaSecond person.	teyou.	Tu te penteias com cuidadoYou comb your hair carefully.
Terceira pessoaThird person.	seoneself.	Ele se veste depressaHe dresses himself quickly.
Primeira do pluralFirst person plural.	nosus.	Nós nos lembramos do horárioWe remember the schedule.
Segunda do pluralSecond person plural.	vosyou (plural).	Vós vos preparais para a viagemYou (plural) prepare yourselves for the trip.

Reflexive verbs can appear in any verbal paradigm, including the -ar, -er and -ir conjugations. Reflexivity does not alter the verb stem, but requires the presence of the corresponding pronoun, and, therefore, the reflexive form is learned together with the base verb conjugation, as in Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs.

PessoaPerson.	VerboVerb.	ExemploExample.
1ª pessoa do singularFirst person singular.	lavar meto wash myself.	Eu me lavo cedoI wash myself early.
1ª pessoa do singularFirst person singular.	perder meto get lost.	Eu me perco no mapaI get lost on the map.
1ª pessoa do singularFirst person singular.	vestir meto dress myself.	Eu me visto rapidamenteI dress myself quickly.

In non-finite verbs, the pronoun can appear before the infinitive, attached to the infinitive, or together with the gerund, depending on the construction. In European Portuguese, the infinitive with enclitic pronoun is frequent, while Brazilian Portuguese favors proclisis; with the gerund, the pronominal position depends on the verbal phrase and the norm adopted, in direct relation to Verbal Gerund and Verbal Phrases.

FormaForm.	ExemploExample.
InfinitivoInfinitive.	lavar se e sair em seguidato wash oneself and then leave.
GerúndioGerund.	estando se a preparar para a aulaBeing or being prepared for class.
ParticípioParticiple.	tinha se vestido antes da chuvaHe had dressed himself before the rain.

Pronoun placement organizes the relationship between the pronoun and the verb into proclisis, enclisis and mesóclisis. Brazilian Portuguese prefers proclisis in many contexts, while European Portuguese uses enclisis more and reserves mesóclisis for formal registers or specific constructions. The imperative and some formal forms also influence the position of the pronoun, as in Irregular Verbs when the verbal form requires adaptation.

PosiçãoPosition.	UsoUse.	ExemploExample.
PrócliseProclisis.	O pronome vem antes do verbo.The pronoun comes before the verb.	Eu me levanto cedoI get up early.
ÊncliseEnclisis.	O pronome vem depois do verbo.The pronoun comes after the verb.	Levanta te jáGet up now.
MesócliseMesoclisis.	O pronome aparece no meio da forma verbal.The pronoun appears in the middle of the verb form.	Dir se ia ao parque se pudesseOne would go to the park if one could.

Some verbs are truly pronominal and require the pronoun as part of their lexical structure, such as queixar-se and arrepender-se. In these cases, the pronoun is not optional and is part of the verb's identity, which brings them close to certain uses of Reflexive Pronouns and distinguishes them from verbs that only admit reflexive reading in specific contexts.

VerboVerb.	ValorValue.	ExemploExample.
queixar seto complain.	pronominalPronominal.	Ele se queixa do frioHe complains about the cold.
arrepender seto regret.	pronominalPronominal.	Nós nos arrependemos cedoWe regret early.
lembrar seto remember.	pronominalPronominal.	Ela se lembra da chaveShe remembers the key.

The reflexive reading shows the subject acting on itself, while the reciprocal reading shows plural subjects exchanging the action among themselves. The verb form may be the same, but the context defines whether the idea is action returning to the subject or mutual action among participants.

TipoType.	IdeiaIdea.	ExemploExample.
RecíprocoReciprocal.	A ação passa de um sujeito para outro sujeito.The action passes from one subject to another subject.	Eles se abraçam na chegadaThey hug each other on arrival.
ReflexivoReflexive.	A ação volta ao próprio sujeito.The action returns to the subject itself.	Ela se corta com cuidadoShe cuts herself carefully.
ContextualContextual.	O contexto determina a leitura.The context determines the reading.	Os vizinhos se cumprimentam com alegriaThe neighbors greet each other with joy.

Not every 'se' is reflexive, because the same pronoun also appears in impersonal and passive voice constructions. In vende-se, the focus falls on the object being sold and not on a subject that performs the action on itself, whereas in lava-se there is a reflexive reading when the action falls on the subject itself. This distinction is essential for correctly interpreting the sentence in different registers.

EstruturaStructure.	ValorValue.	ExemploExample.
vende seis for sale.	impessoal ou passivaImpersonal or passive.	Vende se casa perto da praçaA house near the square is for sale.
lava sewash oneself.	reflexivoReflexive.	Ele se lava depois do treinoHe washes himself after training.
contextos de anúncioAdvertising contexts.	não reflexivoNot reflexive.	Aluga se quarto com varandaA room with a balcony is for rent.

Among the most frequent reflexive verbs there are regular patterns and lexicalized forms that usage has fixed from an early stage. Vestir-se follows the productive behavior of the -ir conjugation; arrepender-se belongs to the group of true pronominal verbs, and dançar-se can appear in special and less central uses, which requires attention to the semantic value and naturalness of each construction.

VerboVerb.	TipoType.	ExemploExample.
vestir seto dress oneself.	frequenteFrequent.	Ele se veste antes de sairHe dresses himself before leaving.
arrepender seto regret.	verdadeiramente pronominalTruly pronominal.	Nós nos arrependemos da decisãoWe regret the decision.
dançar seto dance.	uso especialSpecial use.	A festa se dança até tardeThe party is danced until late.

Correct identification of reflexive verbs depends on three central criteria: the action falls on the subject, the pronoun agrees with the verbal person, and pronoun placement varies according to the tense, mood, and variety of Portuguese. With this framework, it becomes easier to distinguish reflexive, reciprocal, pronominal, and impersonal uses, and to confidently apply common forms in the initial use of the language.