THE MINI- Lezionirequired in the Home Journalevery Night

Realidades 2

Capítulo 1B

Español III

El 29de

Octubre 2014

Remember....

THE MINI- LEZIONIrequired in the home journalevery night

ReflexiveVerbs: Part I

Notes:

The written lesson is below.
Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same.

I wash myself.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: myself

Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive.

I wash the car.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: car

Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.

Here's another example of how a verb can be either reflexive or non-reflexive.

I scratch myself.
subject: I
verb: scratch
object: myself

Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive.

I scratch the dog.
subject: I
verb: scratch
object: dog

Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.

When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se."

lavar
to wash (non-reflexive)

lavarse
to wash oneself (reflexive)

rascarse rascar
to scratch (non-reflexive)

Rascacielo

to scratch oneself (reflexive)

There is one reflexive verb you have been using since you began studying Spanish.

llamarse - to calloneself

¿Cómo se llama usted?
What do you call yourself?

Me llamo Juan.
I call myself Juan.

Note: A more "natural" translation would be "What is your name?" and "My name is Juan."

When you learned to conjugate regular verbs, you needed to learn a set of pronouns called "subject pronouns."

lavar

yo lavo
tú lavas
él, ella, usted lava
nosotros/as lavamos
vosotros/as laváis
ellos, ellas, ustedes lavan

To learn to conjugate reflexive verbs, you need to learn a different set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns." These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending "se" is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally.

lavarse

yomelavo
I wash (myself)

túte lavas
you wash (yourself) (informal)

élse lava
he washes (himself)

ellase lava
she washes (herself)

ustedse lava
you wash (yourself) (formal)

nosotrosnos lavamos
wewash (ourselves)

nosotrasnoslavamos
we wash (ourselves) (feminine)

vosotrososlaváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal)

vosotrasoslaváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal, feminine)

ustedesselavan
you-all wash (yourselves)(formal)

ellosselavan
they wash (themselves)

ellasselavan
they wash (themselves) (feminine)

The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.

me (myself)
te (yourself)
se (himself, herself, yourself)
nos (ourselves)
os (yourselves)
se (themselves, yourselves)

The purpose of the reflexive object pronouns is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject.

Juan se lava la cara.
Juan washes his face. (reflexive)

Juan lava su carro. (non-reflexive)
Juan washeshis car.

Note: When referring to body parts, use the definite article, thus "la cara" not "sucara."

Note that many, many verbs can be made reflexive. All it means when a verb is reflexive is that the action remains with the subject.

wash the dog (non-reflexive)
wash your face (reflexive)

raise the book (non-reflexive)
raise your arm (reflexive)

put the baby to bed (non-reflexive)
go to bed (reflexive)

wake up your son (non-reflexive)
wake up yourself (reflexive)

...and so on

Direct Object Pronouns: Part I

The object that directly receives the action of the verb is called the direct object.

Bill hit the ball.
"Ball" receives the action of the verb "hit."

Sherry reads the book.
"Book" receives the action of the verb "reads."

The direct object can also be a person.

Sherry sees Bill.
(DO=Bill)

Example 1

Paul bought the flowers. He took the flowers home and gave the flowers to his wife.

Example 2

Paul bought the flowers. He took them home and gave them to his wife.

When the pronoun replaces the name of the direct object, use the following pronouns:

me (me)
te (you-familiar)
lo, la (him, her, it, you-formal)

le YOU formal when speaking to a male in most Spanish-speaking counries

nos (us)
os (you-all-familiar)
los, las (them, you-all-formal)

In an affirmative statement with one verb, the direct object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.

Tengo = I have
Tengo la pluma. = I have the pen.
Latengo. = I have it.

The pronoun (la) comes immediately before the verb (tengo).

Notice that if the subject of the sentence changes, this does not affect the direct object pronoun.

Juan la tiene.

Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene la pluma. = John has the pen.
Juan latiene.= John has it.

and

María la tiene.

María tiene = Mary has
María tiene la pluma. = Mary has the pen.
Maríalatiene. = Mary has it.

However, if the direct object of the sentence changes to a masculine noun, the masculine pronoun must be used.

Juan lo tiene.

Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene el libro. = John has the book.
Juan lotiene. = John has it.

but

Juan la tiene.

Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene la pluma. = John has the pen.
Juan latiene. = John has it.

Likewise, if the direct object of the sentence changes from singular to plural, the plural pronoun must be used.

Juan lo tiene.

Juan tiene = John has
Juan tiene el libro. = John has the book.
Juan lotiene.= John has it.

but

María los tiene.

María tiene = Mary has
María tiene los libros. = Mary has the books.
Maríalostiene. = Mary has them.

Look at how Spanish and English are different.

"Lo tengo" and "La tengo" BOTH mean "I have it."

Differences:

"It" has two forms in Spanish: lo, la
"Tengo" one word in Spanish = two words in English (I have)
The word order is different. In Spanish, the pronoun (lo, la) comes before the verb; in English, the pronoun (it) comes after the verb.

When you try to translate literally from English to Spanish, sometimes it works very well:

John eats the soup.
John = Juan
John eats = Juan come
John eats the = Juan come la
John eats the soup = Juan come la sopa.

Other times, direct translation doesn't work so well:

I eat the soup.
I = Yo
I eat = Yocomo
I eat the = Yocomo la
I eat the soup = Yocomo la sopa.

Because "como" means "I eat," the word "yo" is redundant. A better translation might be:

I eat the soup.
Como la sopa.

Sometimes, when you try to translate literally, you run into much bigger problems:

I eat it. (the soup - la sopa)
I = Yo
I eat = Yocomo
I eat it. = Yocomo la.

This is completely incorrect!

The correct translation would be:

I eat it. (the soup)
La como.

As you can see, directly translating sentences with direct object pronouns doesn't work, so ... don't do it! There is a better, easier way.

Learn to translate groups of words, rather than individual words. The first step is to learn to view two Spanish words as a single phrase.

Try to think of each line as a single phrase, not two separate words:

la como
lo como

la leo
lo leo

la veo
lo veo

la tengo
lo tengo

lacompro
lo compro

Read each line again. Before you do, glance at the translation beneath it. Then, read each line thinking of it as a phrase that has the same meaning as the English phrase below it.

la como

I eatit (feminine DO - la sopa, la comida, etc.)

lo como

I eatit (masculine DO - el pollo, el arroz, etc.)

la leo

I read it

lo leo

I read it

laveo

I see it

loveo

I see it

latengo

I have it

lo tengo

I have it

la compro

I buy it

locompro

I buy it

In the previous examples, it is clear that the subject of the sentence is "I" because the verbs are all conjugated in the "yo" form. With other verb forms, it is often desirable to add a word to clarify the subject.

Juan la come. (la comida)

Juan eatsit.

María lo tiene. (el libro)

María has it.

El chico la compra.(lapluma)

The boy buys it.

La chica lo ve. (el edificio)

The girl sees it.

Ustedes lo leen. (elperiódico)

You-all read it.

Now, some examples of plural direct objects.

Juan come dos sándwiches.
Los come.orJuan los come.

María tiene tres libros.
Los tiene.orMaría los tiene.

El chico compra dos revistas.
Las compra.orEl chico las compra.

La chica ve dos coches.
Los ve.orLa chica los ve.

Ella compra dos televisores.
Los compra.orElla los compra.

Tenemos dos mesas.
Las tenemos.orNosotros las tenemos.

Now, some examples where the direct object is a person.

I know you.
Teconozco.

She loves him.
Ella lo ama.

She loves me.
Ella me ama.

Juan seesher.
Juan la ve.

They call us.
Ellos nos llaman.

Wecallthem.
Los llamamos.

Indirect object pronouns

Indirect Object Pronouns: Part I

The indirect object (IO) tells us where the direct object (DO) is going.

He gives the book to María.
DO=Book

Where is the book going?
To María.

IO=María

He gives María the book.
DO=Book

Where is the book going?
To María.

IO=María

The indirect object answers the question "To whom?" or "For whom?" the action of the verb is performed.

He gives María the book.
To whom does he give the book?
To María.

IO=María

He buys me flowers.
For whom does he buy the flowers?
For me.

IO=me

Sentences that have an indirect object usually also have a direct object. Remember, the IO tells us where the DO is going. Notice how the sentences below just wouldn't work without a direct object.

He gives María . . .
the book, the pen, the diamond, etc.

He buys me . . .
flowers, candy, an ironing board, etc.

Sometimes the direct object is not stated; rather it is implied, or understood.

My mother writes me every week.
DO=letter (understood)
IO=me
(My mother writes me a letter every week.)

She told him.
DO=it (understood)
IO=him
(She told it to him.)

To identify the indirect object use our two guidelines:

The IO tells us where the DO is going.
The IO answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom" the action of the verb is performed.

When a pronoun takes the place of the name of the indirect object, use the following pronouns:

me (me)
te (you-familiar)
le (him, her, you-formal)

nos (us)
os (you-all-familiar)
les (them, you-all-formal)

In an affirmative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.

Juan me compraunregalo.
John buys me a gift.
John buys a gift for me.

Juan te compra un regalo.
John buys you a gift.
John buys a gift for you.

Juan le compraunregalo.
John buys her a gift.
John buys a gift for her.

Juan nos compra un regalo.
John buys us a gift.
John buys a gift for us.

Juan os compra un regalo.
John buys you-all (familiar) a gift.
John buys a gift for you-all.

Juan les compra un regalo.
John buys them a gift.
John buys a gift for them.

Now, focus in on one part of each of the previous examples:

Juan me compra un regalo.
John buys (for) me a gift.

Juan te compra un regalo.
John buys (for) you a gift.

Juan le compraunregalo.
John buys (for) her a gift.

Juan nos compra un regalo.
John buys (for) us a gift.

Juan os compra un regalo.
John buys (for) you-all (familiar) a gift.

Juan les compra un regalo.
John buys (for) them a gift.

Let's extract the IO phrase and its English equivalent:

mecompra
buys (for) me

tecompra
buys (for) you

lecompra
buys (for) her

noscompra
buys (for) us

oscompra
buys (for) you-all

lescompra
buys (for) them

Just like with the direct object, the indirect object presents a problem if one tries to translate word-for-word:

Juan me compraunregalo.
John for me he buys a gift.

The key to learning to use the indirect object pronouns is the same as the key for direct object pronouns. You must learn to think in phrases, not words. The phrases consist of a pronoun and a conjugated verb. In the following examples, note that the IO remains the same, while the subject of the phrase changes.

mecompra
he buys me

mecompran
they buy me

mecompras
you buy me

The IO pronouns le and les present a special problem because they are ambiguous. That is, they can stand for different things.

le
to (for) him
to (for) her
to (for) you-formal

les
to (for) them
to (for) you-all-formal

The following sentences, while grammatically correct, are ambiguous:

Ella le escribe una carta.
Ella les escribe una carta.

Out of context, there is no way we can know the meaning.

Ella le escribe una carta.
She writes him a letter.
She writes her a letter.
Shewritesyou (formal) a letter.

Ella les escribe una carta.
She writes them a letter.
She writes you-all (formal) a letter.

Since le and les can mean more than one thing, a prepositional phrase is often added to remove the ambiguity.

Ella le escribe a Juan una carta.
Ella le escribe a su hermana una carta.
Ella le escribe a usted una carta.

Ella les escribe a sus padres una carta.
Ella les escribe a ustedes una carta.

Sometimes a prepositional phrase is added not for clarity, but rather for emphasis.

Juan me da a mí el dinero.
John gives me the money.
(emphasizing that the money is given to me and not to someone else)

Juan te da a ti el dinero.
John gives you the money. (emphasis on you)

There is no ambiguity in the following sentence. It can only mean one thing.

Juan me da el dinero.
John gives me the money.

The addition of a prepositional phrase merely adds emphasis.

Juan me da a mí el dinero.
John gives me the money.

Let's sum up the important points of this lesson:

The IO tells us where the DO is going.
The IO answers the question "to whom" or "for whom."
Sentences that have an IO usually also have a DO
Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.
The IO pronouns are: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
Place the pronoun before the conjugated verb.
Think in phrases, do not translate word-for-word.
Le and les areambiguous.
Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.

BACK to reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive Verbs: Part II

I wash myself.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: myself

Since the subject and object are the same, the verb is reflexive.

I wash the car.
subject: I
verb: wash
object: car

Since the subject and object are different, the verb is not reflexive.

You also learned that when a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se."

lavar
to wash (non-reflexive)

lavarse
to wash oneself (reflexive)

rascar
to scratch (non-reflexive)

rascarse
to scratch oneself (reflexive)

You should have memorized a set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns."

me (myself)
te (yourself)
se (himself, herself, yourself)
nos (ourselves)
os (yourselves)
se (themselves, yourselves)

You learned to conjugate reflexive verbs like this:

lavarse

yo me lavo
I wash (myself)

túte lavas
you wash (yourself) (informal)

él/ella se lava
he/she washes (him/herself)

usted se lava
you wash (yourself) (formal)

nosotros/asnoslavamos
we wash (ourselves)

vosotros/asoslaváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal)

ustedes se lavan
you-all wash (yourselves) (formal)

ellos/as se lavan
they wash (themselves)

In the lesson titled Direct Object Pronouns Part III you learned that when there are two verbs, you have two options on where to place the pronoun: before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive.

I want to see it. (querer, ver)
Lo quiero ver.
Quiero verlo.

Lo debemos comprar.
Debemoscomprarlo.
We should buy it.

María nos debe visitar.
María debe visitarnos.
Mary shouldvisitus.

Juan lo necesita lavar.
Juan necesita lavarlo.
John needs to wash it.

The same is true regarding reflexive pronouns. When the sentence has two verbs, the pronoun can be placed directly before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive.

I want to see myself.
Me quiero ver.
Quiero verme.

John needs to wash his hair.
Juan se necesita lavar el pelo.
Juan necesita lavarse el pelo.

Maria can wash her face now.
Ahora María se puede lavar la cara.
Ahora María puede lavarse la cara.

I havejustgone to bed.
Acabo de acostarme.
Me acabo de acostar.

We prefer to wash with scented soap.
Preferimos lavarnos con jabón perfumado.
Nospreferimoslavar con jabónperfumado.

Whenever a verb directly follows a preposition, it remains in the infinitive form. For reflexive verbs, the ending -se changes to agree with the subject. Observe the differences in the following sentences, all of which are about counting burros before falling asleep.

Antes de dormirme, yo cuento burros.

Antes de dormirte, tú cuentas burros.

Antes de dormirse, la chica cuenta burros.

Antes de dormirnos, nosotros contamos burros.

Antes de dormiros, vosotros contáis burros.

Antes de dormirse, los chicos cuentan burros.

In English, many verbs can be used transitively (with a direct object) or intransitively (without a direct object).

The sun dried the clothes. (transitive)
The clothes dried in the sun. (intransitive)

In Spanish, these intransitive constructions frequently employ the reflexive form.

The sun dried the clothes. (transitive)
El sol secó la ropa.

The clothes dried in the sun. (intransitive)
La ropa se secó al sol.

Sometimes, the reflexive construction is used merely to emphasize who is performing the action of the sentence.

The cake?Maria ate it.
¿La torta? María se la comió.

For some verbs, the meaning changes when they are used reflexively-

aburrir - to bore
aburrirse - to be bored

acordar - to agree
acordarse de - to remember

acostar - to put to bed
acostarse - to go to bed