I can describe my day — when I get up, wash, get dressed, and go to bed — and put the pronoun in the right place: after the verb with a hyphen, but before it after “não” and a question word.
Reflexive verbs: levanto-me, deito-me
Reflexive verbs: levanto-me, deito-me
To describe your day, you need verbs whose action goes back to you: “Lavo o carro” — I wash the car, “Lavo-me” — I wash (myself).
The forms by person: eu — me, tu — te, ele, ela, você, o senhor — se, nós — nos, eles, elas, vocês — se. The full table is alongside.
The short word usually goes after the verb, with a hyphen: “A Inês penteia-se de manhã”, “O Pedro senta-se ali”. In Brazil it goes first: “me levanto”; European Portuguese doesn't write it that way.
Three cases where it moves before the verb:
• after “não”;
• after a question word;
• after “também” and “já” (“sempre” and “nunca” do the same: they come in lesson 5).
English get up, sit down, and get dressed have no “myself”, but Portuguese needs -se: levantar-se, sentar-se, vestir-se. Some verbs never take -se: estudar. See the table.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Eu visto de manhã” → “Visto-me de manhã”: without the short word, the verb means “I dress someone”.
• NOT “Me deito tarde” → “Deito-me tarde”.
• NOT “Não levanto-me cedo” → “Não me levanto cedo”.
• NOT “Estudo-me em Coimbra” → “Estudo em Coimbra”.
Reflexive verbs: levantar-se
In the nós form, the -s drops only when the short pronoun comes after the verb: levantamo-nos. Before the verb (não nos levantamos), the form stays whole. You'll learn the name for this at A2.
| Who | Short pronoun | Verb form |
|---|---|---|
| eu | me | levanto-me |
| tu | te | levantas-te |
| ele, ela, você, o senhor | se | levanta-se |
| nós | nos | levantamo-nos |
| eles, elas, vocês | se | levantam-se |
When the short pronoun moves to the front
Otherwise it goes after the verb, with a hyphen.
| After which word | Example |
|---|---|
| não | Não me deito tarde |
| question word | Como se chama? |
| também, já | Também me lavo de manhã |
| sempre, nunca (lesson 5) | Nunca me sento aqui |
Where Portuguese uses -se
Learn each verb with its “-se” or without it, from the start.
| In English | In Portuguese | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| to study | estudar | no se in Portuguese |
| to open (of a store) | abrir | no se in Portuguese |
| to get up | levantar-se | se in Portuguese, nothing in English |
| to sit down | sentar-se | se in Portuguese, no “myself” in English |
| to wash | lavar-se | se in Portuguese, no “myself” in English |
| to feel | sentir-se | se in Portuguese only |
Lesson notes
Reflexive verbs: levanto-me, deito-me
To describe your day, you need verbs whose action goes back to you: “Lavo o carro” — I wash the car, “Lavo-me” — I wash (myself).
The forms by person: eu — me, tu — te, ele, ela, você, o senhor — se, nós — nos, eles, elas, vocês — se. The full table is alongside.
The short word usually goes after the verb, with a hyphen: “A Inês penteia-se de manhã”, “O Pedro senta-se ali”. In Brazil it goes first: “me levanto”; European Portuguese doesn't write it that way.
Three cases where it moves before the verb:
• after “não”;
• after a question word;
• after “também” and “já” (“sempre” and “nunca” do the same: they come in lesson 5).
English get up, sit down, and get dressed have no “myself”, but Portuguese needs -se: levantar-se, sentar-se, vestir-se. Some verbs never take -se: estudar. See the table.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Eu visto de manhã” → “Visto-me de manhã”: without the short word, the verb means “I dress someone”.
• NOT “Me deito tarde” → “Deito-me tarde”.
• NOT “Não levanto-me cedo” → “Não me levanto cedo”.
• NOT “Estudo-me em Coimbra” → “Estudo em Coimbra”.