Portuguese reflexive verbs are formed by adding the reflexive pronouns me, te, se, or nos. When the direct object or indirect object represents the same person or thing as the subject of the verb, it’s expressed by a reflexive pronoun.
In other words, we use reflexive pronouns when the action is something one does to oneself. In English, this would be words like myself, yourself, himself, ourselves, themselves, etc. For example, in the sentence “She convinced herself”, she is both the subject and the object, so we use herself as the reflexive pronoun.
You’ve probably come across some of these in earlier units and wondered how they work. For example:
- Como te chamas?What is your name? (sing.,inf.) – Literally, “What do you call yourself?”
- Chamo-me JoelMy name is Joel – Literally, “I call myself Joel”
As you’ll find below, verbs that are reflexive in Portuguese are not always reflexive in English, and vice versa.
Reflexive pronouns are clitic pronouns. A clitic is similar to an affix because it goes along with the verb rather than standing on its own. You’ll learn about the other clitics in more detail in a later unit. Luckily, they are mostly the same. Portuguese reflexive pronouns share most of the same pronouns as the Portuguese clitic direct and indirect object pronouns. The only difference is in the 3rd person, both singular and plural: se.
One last thing to note is that clitic pronouns are unstressed. (In another learning note, we’ll cover si and consigo, which are stressed pronouns.)
Reflexive Pronouns in Portuguese
Here are the reflexive pronouns that correspond to each subject pronoun.
| Subject pronouns | Reflexive pronouns |
| Eu | me |
| Tu | te |
| Ele / Ela / Você | se |
| Nós | nos |
| Eles / Elas / Vocês | se |
Let’s have a look at each pronoun individually, using one of the simplest Portuguese reflexive verbs, vestir-seto dress oneself, to get dressed
Me
Me is the equivalent of myself. Example:
Eu vesti-me à pressa para não chegar atrasado.I dressed myself in a hurry, so I wouldn’t be late.
Te
Te is used in informal contexts and corresponds to yourself. Example:
Vestes-te tão lentamente!You dress yourself so slowly!
Nos
Nos is the equivalent of ourselves. Example:
Vestimo-nos com os nossos disfarces de Carnaval.We dressed ourselves with our Carnival costumes.
Notice when adding -nos that the -s at the end of 1st-person plural verb forms is always dropped: vestimos + nos = vestimo-nos.
Note: This rule about just dropping the -s in the 1st person plural only applies to the clitics -nos and -vos. You can also read this Learning Note on 3rd Person clitic object pronouns to learn more about other contexts in which you have to drop and/or add a letter when using clitics.
Se
Se is used for all the other pronouns: ele, ela, eles, elas, você, and vocês. Here, se stands in for himself, herself, itself, themselves, yourself(formal), and yourselves (talking to a group).
Examples:
Ele veste-se muito bem.He dresses himself well.
Ele não se veste nada bem.He really doesn't dress himself well.
Você vestiu-se de Pai Natal.You dressed yourself as Father Christmas.
As crianças vestiram-se de gnomos.The children dressed themselves as gnomes.
Os pais vestiram-se de renas.The parents dressed themselves as reindeer.
Where do You Put the Reflexive Pronoun?
Reflexive pronouns follow the same rules as other clitic pronouns. As you can see in the examples above, the reflexive pronoun is usually placed after the verb, connected by a hyphen, as in “vestiram-se”. There are many exceptions, though, so below we have listed the situations in which the pronoun comes before the verb.
Note: These rules can feel overwhelming, so we typically don’t recommend memorizing them. It helps to be familiar with them, but for most people, the easiest way to understand reflexive verbs is by seeing and hearing lots of examples over time. (In real life, in this Learning Note, in Shorties, and in the Lessons in this Reflexive Verbs unit!)
1. Following a “negative” word, such as não, nunca, nada, or ninguém
Não me lembroI don't remember
Ela não se quer deitarShe doesn't want to lie down
2. When the reflexive verb follows an adverb, or a “question word” (interrogative adverbs and interrogative pronouns)
Como te chamas?What is your name?, What do you call yourself?
Não sei onde me vou esconderI don't know where I'm going to hide
3. When the reflexive verb follows an indefinite or relative pronoun
Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that refer to a noun in a more general way (todos, alguém, qualquer, cada, certos, tantos, etc), and relative pronouns include qual, quanto, que, quem, etc.
Qualquer pessoa se teria queixadoAnybody would have complained
Certas pessoas não se sabem comportar!Some people don’t know how to behave!
4. When the reflexive verb follows a subordinating conjunction
Chegámos agora porque nos despachámos mais cedoWe came now because we finished early
Eu faço jardinagem, a fim de me acalmarI garden in order to calm myself down
That’s a lot to remember! Don’t worry, we’ll review these rules again in the Clitic Object Pronouns unit.
Reciprocal Pronouns
In slight contrast to reflexive pronouns, the plural forms of the reflexive, nos and se, can also be used to express a mutual (reciprocal) action between two or more people. In English, the equivalent is each other. You can call these pronomes recíprocosreciprocal pronouns . For example:
Nós abraçamo-nos.We hug each other.
Eles não se cumprimentam.They don't greet each other.
Which Portuguese Verbs are Reflexive?
A common question is how to know which Portuguese verbs are reflexive. Verbos reflexos are also known as verbos pronominais reflexos (pronominal reflexive verbs) because they combine themselves with the clitic pronouns we mentioned above: me, te, se, and nos. The action expressed by the verb “falls” on the subject represented by the pronoun (i.e. whomever takes the action).
Some verbs are always reflexive, while some can exist in both reflexive and non-reflexive forms. With the latter, however, the meaning of the verb can change accordingly. Let’s look at some examples:
- Encontrei um euro no chãoI found a euro on the floor
- Encontrei-me com o João na terçaI met up with João on Tuesday – reflexive
- Pergunta-lhe se está tudo bemAsk him if everything is fine
- Pergunto-me se está tudo bem com eleI wonder if everything's ok with him – reflexive
In the first pair, you can see that the verb encontrar means “to find” in the first sentence, while the reflexive verb encontrar-se in the second means “to meet up”.
Then, in the second pair, the verb perguntar means “to ask”, while in the second sentence, the reflexive verb perguntar-se means “to wonder”.
How will I know the difference?
The difference in meaning between the two “versions” of a verb can often be understood from context. For example, “meeting up with” someone is basically the same as “finding yourself with” someone, even though we wouldn’t word it like that in English. “Wondering” something is basically the same as “asking yourself” something.
Which verbs are always reflexive?
Now, as mentioned above, some verbs are always reflexive and have to be paired with a reflexive pronoun. This is the case with the verbs arrepender, queixar and zangar, for example.
You can’t just say Eu arrependo or Eles queixam; you need to add a pronoun to the sentence.
- Eu arrependo-me do que disseI regret what I said
- Eles queixam-se do barulhoThey complain about the noise
Exception: If you use the past participle of these verbs, you don’t need to add a pronoun. Eu estou arrependidoI am sorry, I am regretful
Portuguese Reflexive Verbs in English
Some reflexive verbs, like ver-se, are also reflexive in English: Eu vi-me no espelhoI saw myself in the mirror . However, there are also many verbs that are reflexive in Portuguese, but not in English. In other words, sometimes a verb requires a reflexive pronoun in Portuguese, but it can stand alone in English. Below are some examples:
Eles lembram-se do meu aniversárioThey remember my birthday
Eu rio-me muito contigoI laugh a lot with you
Ela atrasou-seShe's late
Sentes-te bem?Do you feel well?
Eu levantei-meI got up
Other examples include: vestir-seto get dressed , esquecer-seto forget , zangar-seto get mad , chamar-seto be called and divertir-seto have fun , to name a few.
Learning More
We’ll dive deeper into the topic in the next unit (Tonic Pronouns) with the Learning Note on Reflexivity with Tonic Pronouns. It will cover words like comigo, contigo, etc, as well as how to add próprio or mesmo to a phrase to emphasize the reflexive nature of a verb even more.
But for now, let’s continue to on to the next lesson to start practicing what we’ve learned so far about how to form reflexive verbs!
Is this correct in the lesson “Vocês vestiu-se de Pai Natal.” ? It seems to me that “vestiu-se” is singular, i.e the subject should be Você not Vocês? Or, am I somehow mixed up.
Oops! A stray S wandered in to cause mischief. Well spotted, it’s now corrected!
Olá Joseph,
o usa do palavra “se” está um pouco dificil, porque pode usa-lo em vários situações, não é? “Se ele veste-se bem se pode dizer que ele vai á festa.” Na língua alemã temos palavras diferentes cada vez.
Olá, Manfred. Sim, a palavra ‘se’ é muito flexível na sua utilização. Vou pegar no teu exemplo (com pequenas correções para ficar mais idiomático): “Se ele se veste bem, pode-se dizer que ele vai à festa”. O primeiro ‘se’ é uma conjunção (significa “if”); o segundo ‘se’, ele se veste, é um pronome reflexivo que se refere a ele (he dresses himself); o terceiro ‘se’, pode-se, é uma partícula apassivante, ou seja, aproxima o verbo da voz passiva (pode-se dizer = pode ser dito = it can be said).
Estes aspectos gramáticos podem ser muito complexos e não vale a pena estudá-los muito profundamente, na minha opinião (a menos que tenham curiosidade!) – a teoria ajuda, mas um novo idioma só se domina com a prática 🙂
Can’t we use vos with vocês?
Vocês vos olham “you guys look at each other.”
We do use -vos, but not reflexively. We can use it in sentences such as:
– Eles olham-vos com medo. (They look at you with fear)
– Eu quero-vos aqui comigo! (I want you here with me!)
As you see, the subject and object of each sentence are always different. More on that here: Clitic Pronouns: Nos & Vos
Ok I get the picture now.
If I were to draw a pronoun chat I’d go:
Subject: vocês
Indirect object: vos
Direct object: vos
Refkexive: se
Reciprocal: consigo
With con: com vocês? Or is it convosco?
Is it possible to tell us where in Portugal do people use “vós fazeis” and when they do, do they consider vocês formal? And when those people use vocês do they use it with lhes, seu etc?
“Com vocês” and “convosco” can both be used. However, the same can’t be said for “connosco” and “com nós” – only “connosco” is correct 🙂 The use of “vós” nowadays is mostly limited to northern Portugal, especially in more rural areas. Even there, you may hear “vocês”, which is always used in the same way, following the same rules. I’d say that no matter where you are, “vocês” is quite neutral in terms of formality and “vós” is more formal.*
Your pronoun table seems mostly fine, except for the “reciprocal” line. However, to avoid drifting too off topic and also overwhelming the comment section here, I’d suggest you send additional questions to our support channel or our forum, which is a better medium for this and still allows other people to also learn with you!
*Note: Actually, the locals will tell you that “vocês”/”vós” are equally neutral over there, so don’t mind me 😀
Olá Joseph! Eu sou portuguesa e natural de uma região onde se utiliza o “vós”. Queria só fazer uma pequena correção: o “vós” não é, de maneira nenhuma, mais formal do que o “vocês”. Utiliza-se exatamente no mesmo registo. Por exemplo, se eu e a minha irmã estivermos a sair de casa da minha avó, ela vai perguntar-nos “Onde ides?”; e, no entanto, trata-nos por “tu”. Ela simplesmente não usa o termo “vocês”.
Perfeito, obrigado! A minha impressão lisboeta estava errada 🙂
I think my head just exploded… 🙂
Mine too! AGHHHHHHHH
I sometimes feel the need to apologise for the complexity of my language. It is almost draconian. And beautiful, at the same time. Thank you for the wonderful resources here. I am planning to use some of the rules in an online session tomorrow.
A todos as minhas desculpas pela complexidade da Lingua Portuguesa. E um martirio, por vezes. Mas continuamos a ama-la incondicionalmente. (perdao pela falta da acentuacao)
Is there a difference between Brazilian and European Portuguese with respect to the placement of the reflexive pronoun? For the phrase “I dressed in a hurry” is translated as “Vesti-me com pressa” using DeepL and as “Me vesti com pressa” using Google translate (which I understand is speaking the Brazilian version). Or is there some other explanation? Just curious!
Yes, there is! Brazilian Portuguese often favours the proclitic placement (before the verb), at least informally, while European Portuguese usually goes for an enclitic placement (after the verb).
Olá, this lesson was very useful! (e as outras também 🙂)
I have a question regarding the exercises that followed the explanation.
I found these two phrases interesting:
“Comecei-me a sentir cansada durante o filme.” “Eles estão-se a apaixonar”
I thought that we had to say “Comecei a sentir-me” and “eles estão a apaixonar-se”
Could you please tell me if both forms are correct or only the one used in the exercises? Muito obrigada!
Thank you for your comment, Imola!
Both forms are correct 🙂 When we have auxiliary verbs, the placement of clitic pronouns is often flexible. You can read more about it here: Verb Phrases & Clitic Pronouns
Dear Joseph, thank you for your help! 🙂
How does this all apply to the commonly-used “vende-se”? It would seem to mean he/she/it/they/you sell(s) himself/herself/itself/themselves/yourself, none of which quite capture the sense of “for sale” that I see it used in all over the country. “It sells itself” seems to be the closest, but feels a bit wrong!
It doesn’t! 🙂 In “vende-se”, the pronoun “-se” can’t be considered reflexive, but either an impersonal pronoun or a passive voice pronoun. The latter, in particular, is because it could be flipped into a passive voice sentence. For example: Vende-se casa = A casa é vendida (or it can be).
In the sentence “Comecei-me a sentir cansada durante o filme”, why isn’t the reflexive pronoun kept with the reflexive verb – “Comecei a sentir-me cansada durante o filme”?
Olá! Both forms are acceptable 🙂 When you have an auxiliary verb, the pronoun can be linked to it or to the main verb (except if in the past participle). More on that here: Verb Phrases & Clitic Pronouns
Hi guys
Please help I had a test and was corrected “ eu me sento muito bem ovrigado” I put “eu sento-me muito bem. . Can’t understand why ?
Olá! I don’t know if you’re in a Brazilian Portuguese class or if you have a Brazilian teacher? Because if that’s the case, the correction would make sense. I also don’t know how exactly was the exercise, but I can tell you that in European Portuguese, we would prefer to say “Eu sinto-me muito bem” (not “Eu me sinto muito bem”).
“Ela não se quer deitar”
So, in the case of negative reflexive statements, the pronoun comes before any other verbs? I think in this phrase, it’s “deitar” that is the reflexive, no? But “quer” is inserted between the pronoun and the reflexive verb in question?
Also it appears this is happening throughout:
When the reflexive verb follows an adverb; “Não sei onde me vou esconder”
When the reflexive verb follows an indefinite or relative pronoun; “Qualquer pessoa se teria queixado;” “Certas pessoas não se sabem comportar!”
Is there a rule when this happens? Does it sound wrong to say “ela não quer se deitar” or “não sei onde eu vou me esconder”?
Clitic pronouns (where reflexive pronouns are included) can be placed before, after and even in the middle of verbs and there are general rules of placement depending on the sentence at hand and how it’s phrased.
In this case, since we have a negative sentence, the preferred placement for any clitic pronouns is before the verb (or in this case, before the entire verb phrase). That is because negative words such as não or nunca exert an attractive force, as also explained in this Learning Note.
In an affirmative sentence, we would by default say: Ela quer deitar-se.
These patterns of placement are discussed on the website from a European Portuguese perspective. Please note that different patterns apply in Brazilian Portuguese. So, sentences like “Ela não quer se deitar” or “Não sei onde eu vou me esconder” may sound correct in Brazilian Portuguese, but not in European Portuguese.
Please can you explain why the reflexive pronoun is placed differently in the following sentences even though the constructions are similar:
Eu comecei-me a sentir cansada durante o filme.
Eu estou a sentir-me bem
Eles estão-se a apaixonar.
Eles estão a preparar-se para a corrida.
Are there specific rules for the position of the reflexive pronouns for these cases? Thank you very much
In all cases, we have affirmative sentences with verb phrases that do not have any attractive words before them (words that would attract the reflexive pronouns to before the verb phrase – proclitic position). This means that the reflexive pronoun should go after the verb. However, since we have both an auxiliary verb and the infinitive of the main verb, it is fine to place the pronoun after either one of them. This is why you see the pronoun moving around across the four examples – there are always two possible positions for the pronoun and each example just settled for one of them 🙂
– Eu comecei-me a sentir cansada = Eu comecei a sentir-me cansada
– Eu estou-me a sentir bem = Eu estou a sentir-me bem
– Eles estão-se a apaixonar = Eles estão a apaixonar-se
– Eles estão-se a preparar = Eles estão a preparar-se
Here’s a Learning Note about this: Verb Phrases & Clitic Pronouns | Practice Portuguese
In the example above “Nós abraçamo-nos” shouldn’t the second “nos” go before the verb even though it sounds odd?
Olá! “Nós abraçamo-nos” is for sure the preferred phrasing in European Portuguese, since by default, object pronouns come after the verb in simple affirmative sentences like this one (without any pronoun-attracting words that could change this placement). But in Brazilian Portuguese, “Nós nos abraçamos” would be common to see, as they follow different patterns of pronoun placement. For European Portuguese, you can refer to this Learning Note for some insights into the usual placement of object pronouns: Object Pronouns in Portuguese
Dear sir
Why is “à” needed in this sentence : Eu vesti-me à pressa para não chegar atrasado? My understanding is pressa is an adjective, and therefore it does not need a definite article preceding it.
Olá! ‘Pressa’ is not an adjective, but a noun. Combined with ‘à’, it forms the adverbial phrase ‘à pressa’, which can be translated as ‘hurriedly’. That’s why ‘à’ is here 🙂
Olá Joseph!
Would it also be correct to say, “Eu vesti-me pressademente para não chegar atrasada”
Since I would usually say I did something “in a hurry” in English and it helps me to construct phrases that flow in a familiar way where possible.
Obrigada!
Olá! Yes, you can also say “Eu vesti-me apressadamente para não chegar atrasada”, or simply, “Eu vesti-me depressa para não chegar atrasada” 🙂
Olá,
Am I missing something?
In lesson 6 – Não queremos atrasar-nos
I thought the reflexive pronoun (nos) was supposed to go before the verb in negative sentences.
Please could you explain?
Muito obrigada.
Olá 🙂 With verb phrases (‘queremos atrasar’), we can consider that the influence of ‘não’ applies only to the first verb (querer). So, it’s not acceptable in European Portuguese to say ‘Não queremo-nos atrasar’ or ‘Não queremos nos atrasar’. But we can still place the clitic pronoun at the whole verb phrase, where ‘não’ is no longer exerting an attractive force. This is covered in our Learning Note about verb phrases & clitic pronouns. The placement before the verb phrase would also be absolutely fine to use.
Olá! In one of the units, there was a sentence “Quase me perdi no caminho para cá”. Why do we have to put “me” before the verb here? To which of the four cases mentioned above does this relates?
Obrigado pela sua resposta!
Good question! Quase is an adverb, so it relates to #2 (When the reflexive verb follows an adverb or question word).
In the example sentence:
“As crianças vestiram-se de gnomos.
The children dressed themselves as elves.” the translation should be “The children dressed themselves as gnomes.” I believe.
Thanks – we’ve already updated it 🙂
In this unit, you have the example of “não queremos atrasar-nos”.
Should it not be “não nos queremos atrasar”?
Thanks in advance.
You have both options. The word “não” makes it possible to place the pronoun before the entire verb phrase, but you can still keep it at the end. Only the middle is not acceptable (não queremo-nos atrasar). This is discussed in the following Learning Note: Verb Phrases & Clitic Pronouns | Practice Portuguese