Reflexive pronouns: me, se, nos

Reflexive and pronominal forms help you talk about daily routines. From "Me levanto às 7" (I get up at 7) to "Como você se chama?" (What's your name?), these little words are everywhere. They're the difference between lavar (to wash something) and se lavar (to wash yourself), vestir (to dress someone) and se vestir (to get dressed). Master them and you can narrate your whole day, from waking up to going to bed — and finally understand Brazilians rattling off their routines.

Reflexive Pronoun Forms

Use me with eu, nos with nós, and se with você, ele, ela, vocês, eles, elas and a gente. With tu, the corresponding form is te; tu remains common in several Brazilian regions, so te is not simply rare. These forms also occur without literal self-action (chamar-se) or with reciprocal meaning (encontrar-se: meet each other).

Common Reflexive Routine Verbs

A morning routine

• "Acordo às 6:30, mas só me levanto às 7. Primeiro me espreguiço, depois vou ao banheiro. Me lavo, escovo os dentes e tomo banho. Me visto enquanto tomo café. Me arrumo rapidamente e saio." (I wake up at 6:30, but I only get up at 7. First I stretch, then I go to the bathroom. I wash up, brush my teeth, and take a shower. I get dressed while I have coffee. I get ready quickly and head out.)

A workday

• "Durante a semana, me preparo para o trabalho cedo. Me visto de forma mais formal — não me sinto confortável de bermuda no escritório. Nós nos reunimos às 9h para a reunião diária. À tarde, me canso um pouco, então me levanto e caminho." (During the week, I get ready for work early. I dress more formally — I don't feel comfortable in shorts at the office. We meet at 9 for the daily meeting. In the afternoon, I get a little tired, so I get up and walk around.)

A weekend

• "No fim de semana, me permito acordar tarde. Não me preocupo com horário. Me visto com calma, me alimento bem. À tarde, me divirto com os amigos — nós nos encontramos no shopping ou na praia." (On the weekend, I let myself sleep in. I don't worry about the clock. I get dressed at my own pace and eat well. In the afternoon, I have fun with friends — we meet up at the mall or the beach.)

At the gym

• "Me exercito três vezes por semana. Primeiro me aqueço por dez minutos. Depois do treino, me alongo bem. Me sinto muito melhor quando me exercito com regularidade." (I work out three times a week. First I warm up for ten minutes. After the workout, I stretch well. I feel much better when I exercise regularly.)

Looks reflexive, but isn't

These particular expressions do not need a reflexive pronoun. That does not mean the verbs never have pronominal uses:

• "Vou embora." (I'm leaving.) — no pronoun needed; ir-se and me vou embora are also possible.

• "Fico em casa." (I stay home.) — not me fico

• "Pareço cansado." (I look tired.) — no me pareço in this sense; parecer-se com means to resemble.

Optional reflexives

A few verbs work both ways. With a complement, the construction can change: lembrar/esquecer algo and lembrar-se/esquecer-se de algo.

• acordar or acordar-se (wake up) — in Brazil, plain acordo is far more common

• "Esqueci" or "Me esqueci" (I forgot)

• "Lembrei" or "Me lembrei" (I remembered)

The Brazilian habit this lesson teaches — putting the little pronoun before the verb — is so iconic it has its own poem. In 1925 the modernist Oswald de Andrade wrote Pronominais, contrasting the grammar book's "Dê-me um cigarro" with how Brazilians really talk: "Me dá um cigarro." Opening a sentence with an unstressed pronoun remains common in Brazilian conversation, while traditional formal writing generally avoids it.

Sources: A colocação pronominal no português brasileiro — Ciência UFPR