Reflexive Pronouns in Spanish

Reflexive Pronouns in Spanish Reflexive pronouns are used in Spanish and English whenever the subject of a verb is also its object. In other words, reflexive pronouns are used when the subject of a sentence is acting on itself. An example is the me in me veo (and the corresponding myself in I see myself), where the person seeing and the person seen are the same. Verbs used with a reflexive pronoun are known either as reflexive verbs or pronominal verbs. This lesson covers the reflexive pronouns that are used with verbs. Spanish also has reflexive pronouns used with prepositions. The 5 Reflexive Pronouns Used With Verbs Verbal reflexive pronouns are used in much the same way as direct-object and indirect-object pronouns; they typically precede the verb or can be attached to the infinitive, imperative verb, or gerund. Here are the verbal reflexive pronouns along with their English equivalents: me - myself - Me lavo. (I am washing myself.) Voy a elegirme. (I am going to choose myself.)te - yourself (informal) -  ¿Te odias? (Do you hate yourself?)  ¿Puedes verte? (Can you see yourself?)se - himself, herself, itself, themselves, yourself (formal), yourselves (formal), each other - Roberto se adora. (Roberto adores himself.) La nià ±a prefiere vestirse. (The girl likes to dress herself.) La historia se repite. (History repeats itself.) Se compran los regalos. (They are buying themselves gifts, or they are buying each other gifts.)  ¿Se afeita Ud.? (Do you shave yourself?) El gato se ve. (The cat sees himself.)nos - ourselves, each other - Nos respetamos. (We respect ourselves, or we respect each other.) No podemos vernos. (We cant see each other, or we cant see ourselves.)os - yourselves (informal, used primarily in Spain), each other - Es evidente que os querà ©is. (Its obvious that you love each other, or its obvious you love yourselves.) Podà ©is ayudaros . (You can help yourselves, or you can help each other.) As you can see from the above examples, the plural pronouns in Spanish can be translated using the English reflexive pronouns or the phrase each other. (Technically, grammarians would call the latter usage of the Spanish pronoun reciprocal rather than reflexive.) Usually, context will make clear the more likely translation. Thus, while nos escribimos conceivably could mean we write to ourselves, it most often would mean we write to each other. If necessary, a phrase can be added for clarification, such as in se golpean el uno a otro (they are hitting each other) and se golpean a sà ­ mismos (they are hitting themselves). Reflexive pronouns should not be confused with English constructions such as I myself am buying the gift. In that sentence (which could be translated to Spanish as yo mismo compro el regalo), myself isnt being used as a reflexive pronoun but as a way of adding emphasis. Sample Sentences Using Reflexive Pronouns  ¿Por quà © me enojo tanto? (Why do I get mad at myself so much?) Voy a cocinarme una tortilla de papas y queso. (Im going to cook a potato and cheese omelet for myself. This is an example of attaching the pronoun to an infinitive.)  ¿Cà ³mo te hiciste daà ±o? (How did you hurt yourself?) Los gatos se limpian instintivamente para quitarse el olor cuando han comido. (Cats clean themselves instinctively to get rid of the odor when they have eaten.) Nos consolamos los unos a los otros con nuestra presencia humana. (We comforted each other with our human presence.) Se videograbà ³ bailando y envià ³ el archivo a mi agente. (She videotaped herself dancing and sent the file to my agent.) Mà ©dico, cà ºrate a ti mismo. (Physician, heal thyself. The reflexive pronoun is attached to a verb in the imperative mood.) Estamos dndonos por quien somos y lo que hacemos. (We are holding ourselves responsible for who we are and what we do. This is example of attending the reflexive pronoun to a gerund.) Hay dias que no hay dias que no me entiendo entiendo. (There are days I dont understand myself.) Nos consolamos con dulces. (We comforted ourselves with candy.) Los dos se buscaron toda la noche. (The two looked for each other all night.) Le gusta escucharse dndome à ³rdenes. (He likes listening to himself giving me orders.) Key Takeaways Spanish have five pronouns for use when the subject of a verb is also its object.When a subject is plural, the reflexive pronoun can be translated using either a form such as ourselves or each other, depending on the context.Reflexive pronouns precede the verb or can be attached to an infinitive or gerund.

Inferno and Infernal

Inferno and Infernal Inferno and Infernal Inferno and Infernal By Maeve Maddox When I see the word inferno, I think fire, but originally, the word did not carry the connotation of intense heat. The association with burning derives from beliefs taught by some religions about the afterlife. The OED offers only one definition of inferno: Hell; a place of torment or misery compared to hell; a place likened in some respect to the Inferno of Dantes Divine Comedy. Merriam-Webster offers three definitions of inferno: 1. a place or a state of torment and suffering. 2. a place that resembles or suggests hell in being dark, noisy, chaotic, lawless. 3. intense heat. English speakers, British as well as American, use inferno to mean an intense conflagration: Tracking the inferno: where wildfires are hitting California, other states hardest- The Guardian. Scientists find planets that survived red giant inferno- The London Times. Thirty people feared dead and 40 more injured after shopping centre inferno causes mall to collapse in Russia  - The Daily Mail. Multiple fire departments reported to the scene of the inferno just after 7 p.m. Sunday, and spent nearly the next 12 hours battling the blaze.- Galloway Patch (New Jersey). Small Fire Becomes Inferno, Burning Homes in California- New York Times.   Like inferno, the adjective that derives from it, infernal, refers to the realm of the dead or a place of punishment after death: Paradise Lost  opens with the fallen angels in hell. Mammon proposes that they build an infernal kingdom of their own, imitating the majesty of heaven through the material riches of the kingdom of hell. Infernal is commonly used as a synonym for hellish, damnable, damned, diabolical, and fiendish. Here are some examples: City Tells Ice Cream Trucks To Keep That Infernal Racket  Down When will these so-called â€Å"voters† stop with their infernal meddling? Will you stop with your infernal fear-mongering? Gatlin and his ilk have brought not only themselves down with their infernal lies  but the whole athletics community. I turned my eye towards him and immediately caught his eye, which he kept staring upon me for more than a minute, with the most infernal expression I have ever seen upon a human face. An â€Å"infernal machine† is â€Å"a machine or apparatus maliciously designed to explode and destroy life or property, especially one in the form of something harmless. For example: To greet the Princes return to Sofia this month, the Chief of the Russian Secret Police sent him an  infernal machine disguised as a  box of the finest cigars.- Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Bulgarian Codex, Tim Symonds, 2012. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureUse a Dash for Number RangesUsing "May" in a Question