Reflexive verbs in Spanish are used when the subject of the verb is also the object, meaning the action is performed on oneself. In the imperfect tense, reflexive verbs describe actions that were habitual, ongoing, or occurred at regular intervals in the past. The reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) are used in conjunction with the verb to indicate that the action is reflexive.
The imperfect tense is often used with reflexive verbs to talk about daily routines, personal care, emotions, or actions that were part of a regular pattern in the past.
To conjugate reflexive verbs in the imperfect tense:
|
Singular |
Plural |
First Person |
me (myself) |
nos (ourselves) |
Second Person |
tú (yourself - Juana/Pedro) |
os (yourself informal – used mainly in Spain) |
Third Person |
se (himself) se (herself) se (yourself Sra./Sr. García) |
se (they masculine/mixed) se (they feminine) se (you all) |
Yo |
me levantaba I got up (weekly) |
Nosotros |
nos levantábamos we got up (on Thursdays) |
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
te levantabas you got up (daily) |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
os levantabais you all got up (frequently) |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
se levantaba he/she/you got up (sometimes) |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
se levantaban they/you (all almost never) got up |
Examples:
Yo |
me ponía I put on (weekly) |
Nosotros |
nos poníamos we put on (on Thursdays) |
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
te ponías you put on (daily) |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
os poníais you all put on (frequently) |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
se ponía he/she/you put on (sometimes) |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
se ponían they/you (all almost never) put on |
Examples:
Yo |
me dormía I fell asleep (weekly) |
Nosotros |
nos dormíamos we fell asleep (on Thursdays) |
Tú (Juana, Juan) |
te dormías you fell asleep (daily) |
Vosotros (informal Spain) |
os dormíais you all fell asleep (frequently) |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) |
se dormía he/she/you fell asleep (sometimes) |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
se dormían they/you (all almost never) fell asleep |
Examples:
Using reflexive verbs in the imperfect tense is key to describing past routines, habits, and actions that were ongoing or repeated. By understanding how to conjugate reflexive verbs in this tense, you’ll be able to talk about your past experiences and daily activities in greater detail. Keep practicing these conjugations to become more comfortable with reflexive verbs in the imperfect tense!