DAY-12 OF SPANISH CHALLENGE
📅 Day 12 – Reflexive Verbs in the Past Tense (Pretérito)
We'll focus on conjugating reflexive verbs in the preterite tense, which is used to talk about actions that happened and were completed in the past.
🧠 PART 1: Conjugating Reflexive Verbs in the Preterite Tense
In the preterite tense, reflexive verbs are conjugated just like regular verbs in the past tense, but with the reflexive pronouns in front of the verb.
Conjugation Rules:
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Remove the -se from the infinitive (e.g., lavarse → lavar).
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Conjugate the verb in the preterite tense based on the subject.
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Add the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb.
Regular preterite endings for -ar verbs:
Subject | Ending |
---|---|
yo | -é |
tú | -aste |
él/ella | -ó |
nosotros | -amos |
vosotros | -asteis |
ellos | -aron |
Example: Lavarse (to wash oneself)
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Yo me lavé (I washed myself)
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Tú te lavaste (You washed yourself)
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Él/ella se lavó (He/she washed himself/herself)
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Nosotros nos lavamos (We washed ourselves)
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Vosotros os lavasteis (You all washed yourselves)
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Ellos se lavaron (They washed themselves)
🎯 PART 2: Practice Sentences with Reflexive Verbs in the Preterite
Translate the following into Spanish:
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I woke up early.
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You (informal) brushed your teeth yesterday.
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We got dressed at 8 am.
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They took a shower this morning.
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She went to bed late last night.
✅ Answers:
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Yo me desperté temprano.
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Tú te cepillaste los dientes ayer.
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Nosotros nos vestimos a las 8 am.
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Ellos se ducharon esta mañana.
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Ella se acostó tarde anoche.
🧠 PART 3: Short Story Practice
Now, let’s put these verbs into a short story so you can practice!
Story: Ayer, me desperté tarde. No me levanté rápidamente. Primero, me duché y luego me vestí para ir a la universidad. Después de salir, me di cuenta de que olvidé mi mochila. ¡Qué desastre!
Translation:
Yesterday, I woke up late. I didn’t get up quickly. First, I showered and then I got dressed to go to the university. After leaving, I realized that I forgot my backpack. What a disaster!
🎯 BONUS: Reflexive Verbs in the Preterite in Conversation
Here’s an example dialogue with reflexive verbs in the preterite tense:
Example Dialogue:
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A: ¿Te levantaste temprano hoy? → Did you get up early today?
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B: No, me desperté tarde. → No, I woke up late.
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A: ¿Te duchaste por la mañana? → Did you shower in the morning?
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B: Sí, me duché antes de salir. → Yes, I showered before leaving.
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A: ¡Qué bien! → How nice!
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