Introducing Reflexive Verbs

One of those concepts that can be difficult to grasp at first for Spanish students is that some of the verb or sentence structures that we use in English are also used in Spanish — but they're often used for a different purpose. One example is the use of reflexive verbs, a verb form in which the subject of the verb acts on itself.

An example of a reflexive verb being used the same way in both languages would be "The boy dresses himself" or "El niño se viste." But in Spanish, the reflexive form can also be used for emphasis, as the equivalent of the English passive verb, and instead of verbs that aren't reflexive in English. As you learn Spanish, you'll find that reflexive verbs can be an expressive and useful feature of the language.