17.5: Verbos pronominales

Los verbos pronominales en español emplean pronombres reflexivos (me, te, se, nos, os, se) para comunicar los siguientes sentidos: a. acciones que el sujeto realiza sobre sí mismo o sobre su cuerpo: No me conozco (a mí mismo). Los gatos no se bañan (a sí mismos) con agua. b. acciones recíprocas: Nos queremos. La gente se entiende cuando se comunica. c. acciones no deliberadas: ¿Te caíste? Me rompí el brazo. d. para indicar un cambio de estado mental o físico, general o específico, súbito o gradual: Me sorprendí con tu visita. La ropa se seca al sol. e. para poner énfasis en la totalidad de ciertas acciones: Nos comimos el arroz. Me aprendí las palabras. f. para indicar el uso intransitivo (sin objeto directo) de muchos verbos: Es bueno comunicarse. (vs. Es bueno comunicar las noticias). Me siento feliz. (vs. Siento felicidad). Para explicaciones más detalladas sobre estos usos, ver: - construcciones reflexivas - verbos pronominales

Spanish uses many verbs with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) in order to convey the following meanings: a. actions that the subject performs on itself or on its own body: I don't know myself. Cats don't bathe (themselves) with water. b. a reciprocal action: We love each other. People understand each other when they communicate. c. a non-deliberate action: Did you fall down? I broke my arm. d. to convey a change of state, often expressed in English with to get + adjective (get dirty, get well, get dark): I got surprised with your visit. Clothes get dry in the sun. e. to stress the totality of certain actions, generally related to consumption: We ate up the rice. I learned all the words (by heart). f. to signal the intransitive use (without a direct object) of many verbs: It is good to communicate (vs. It's good to communicate the news). I feel happy (vs. I feel happiness). For more detailed explanations on these uses, see: - reflexive constructions - verbos pronominales

Las siguientes listas incluyen una muestra de verbos pronominales comunes, algunos de los cuales comunican sentidos diferentes cuando no son pronominales. Las preposiciones entre paréntesis sirven para unir a estos verbos con un infinitivo o una oración subordinada (con otro verbo conjugado): Aseguraron la puerta. (no pronominal) Se aseguraron de cerrar la puerta. Se aseguraron de que la puerta estuviera cerrada. Al final hay observaciones sobre los verbos marcados con *, §, ∞, ¥.

The following lists include a sample of common verbs of this kind, some of which have different meanings with or without the reflexive pronoun. The prepositions shown in parenthesis are usually attached to these verbs when followed by the infinitive or a subordinate clause: They locked the door (not pronominal) They made sure to close the door. They made sure (that) the door was closed. See some observations below the list for verbs marked *, §, ∞, ¥.

Verbos que son (casi) siempre pronominales: abalanzarse abstenerse (de) (como "tener") arrepentirse (de) (-ie-) atreverse (a) bifurcarse (en) desquitarse (de) enterarse (de) esforzarse (en/por) (-ue-) extralimitarse (en) jactarse (de) obstinarse (en) quejarse (de/por) rebelarse (contra) suicidarse

Verbs that are (almost) always pronominal: to pounce, leap on, hurtle to abstain (from) to repent, to regret, to change one's mind to dare (to) to fork, branch off to get even to find out (about) to make and effort (to), to apply oneself (to) to cross the line, to overextend, exceed one's limits to brag, to boast to insist on, to be obstinate to complain to rebel (against) to commit suicide

Verbos que no siempre son pronominales (muestra representativa parcial):

acabarse (de) § acercarse (a) acordarse (de) acostarse acostumbrarse (a) alegrarse (de) alejarse apropiarse (de) asegurarse (de) asustarse (con/de) atrasarse averiarse § bajarse (de) beberse caerse § calentarse callarse cansarse (de) casarse (con) comerse comportarse comunicarse (con) conformarse (con) confundirse (por) § convertirse (en) dañarse § darse cuenta de decidirse (a) deprimirse (por) desesperarse (por) despedirse (de) despertarse (de) detenerse (a) deteriorarse disgustarse (por) divertirse dormirse emocionarse (por) empeñarse (en) enamorarse de enfermarse enfriarse enojarse (por) entristecerse entusiasmarse equivocarse extrañarse graduarse (de/en) hacerse imaginarse independizarse interesarse (en,por) irse (de un lugar) lamentarse (de) lanzarse levantarse llamarse llevarse marcharse (de) mejorarse molestarse (por) molestarse en ¥ moverse morirse (de) negarse (a) nublarse § ocurrírsele a uno § ofenderse (por) olvidarse (de) parecerse (a alguien) perderse § ponerse ponerse a (hacer...) prepararse (para) preocuparse (por) quedarse (a) § quedarse ciego... ∞ referirse (a) resistirse (a) reunirse romperse § sentarse (a) sentirse (de) sorprenderse (de) subirse (a) tenerse (de algo) transformarse unirse unirse a vestirse volverse

to come to an end to get close(r) to remember to go to bed to get used to be glad, happy that... to get away or far(ther) to take possession of to make sure of to get frightened to fall behind to break down to get off (a vehicle) to drink (something) up to fall down or off to get hot to stop speaking to get tired to get married to eat (something) up to behave to communicate (with) to settle for, be content with to get confused or lost to become (see §40C) to get damaged; break down to realize to make up one's mind to get depressed to get desperate to say good bye or farewell to wake up to stop to get deteriorated to get upset to have fun, enjoy oneself to go to sleep, fall asleep to get excited or moved to insist on; persist in to fall in love with to get sick to get cold; cool down to get angry to grow sad to get enthused to make a mistake to be puzzled to graduate (from school) to become (see §40C) to imagine (to suppose) to become independent to be(come) interested to go away, leave to express regret, whine to pounce on, leap on to get up to be called...(name) to take away (with), carry off to go away to get better from an illness to become annoyed to bother do something to move (one's body) to die (naturally; used inf.) to refuse to get cloud to occur to one (an idea) to get offended to forget accidentally to look (a)like (similar to) to get lost; to miss an event to get, become, turn (+ adj.) to set out to to get prepared (for) to be worried (about) to stay (somewhere) to become (blind, mute, deaf) to refer to to resist (against) to get together, have a meeting to get broken to sit down to feel (with adjectives, adverbs) to be surprised to get on (a vehicle) to hold on (to avoid falling) to get transformed, become to unite, get together to join (someone, a group) to get dressed to turn round or into

acabar acercar acordar acostar acostumbrar alegrar* alejar apropiar asegurar asustar* atrasar averiar bajar beber caer calentar callar cansar* casar comer comportar comunicar conformar confundir* convertir dañar dar cuenta (de) decidir deprimir* desesperar* despedir despertar detener deteriorar disgustar divertir* dormir emocionar* empeñar enamorar enfermar enfriar enojar* entristecer* entusiasmar* equivocar extrañar* graduar hacer imaginar independizar interesar* ir lamentar lanzar levantar llamar llevar marchar mejorar molestar* mover morir negar nublar ocurrir ofender* olvidar parecer perder poner preparar preocupar* quedar ∞ referir resistir reunir romper sentar sentir sorprender* subir tener transformar unir unir vestir volver (de)

to end, to finish to move something close to agree to to put to bed or in horizontal position to be in the habit of to cheer someone to move something away; to put off to apply properly to lock, to insure to frighten to delay, to hold up. to damage; to cause to malfunction to go down; to descend to drink to fall, collapse to heat to silence someone to tire someone to marry someone else to eat to entail or bring about to communicate something to form, knock into shape to confuse to change into. to harm; to damage to inform, to account for to decide to cause depression to cause desperation, give up to emit; to dismiss to wake someone up to stop someone, detain to deteriorate to upset or annoy to amuse someone to sleep to excite or move (emotionally) to pawn; to pledge to make someone fall in love; seduce to cause illness; to make sick to cool or chill somehting to anger to sadden to enthuse to mistake, mix up, confuse to miss someone to graduate something to do, to make to conceive of, invent ideas to make independent to interest someone to go somewhere to lament, regret to throw; to launch to lift to call to carry somewhere; to wear to march to improve to annoy, to bother to move something to die to deny to cloud to happen to offend to forget to seem (to look) to lose to put to prepare something to worry someone to remain, to be left to tell off, recount to bear, to stand something to gather, muster up to break; to tear to sit someone; to settle to feel (with nouns and clauses) to surprise someone to go up; to climb to have, to hold to transform (something) into to put together to join two things to dress someone to return (from)

Notas:

* Los verbos que expresan reacciones emocionales a menudo pueden ser pronominales o emplearse con el pronombre de objeto indirecto (en construcciones valorativas). Aunque la forma pronominal hace más énfasis en el cambio emocional de la persona, el significado de ambas construcciones es casi igual. Por ejemplo: Les alegró la noticia. (construcción valorativa, como gustar) Se alegraron con la noticia. (con el pronominal alegrarse) A él le preocupan sus hijos. (construcción valorativa) Él se preocupa por sus hijos. (pronominal)	* Verbs that express emotional reaction are often either pronominal or used with an indirect object pronoun (in constructions like the one used with gustar). Although the pronominal form tends to emphasize the change experienced by the person who reacts, both constructions have pretty much the same meaning. For example: The news cheered them up. They got/were glad with the news. His children worry him. He worries about his children.
§ Estos verbos pueden emplearse en un tipo especial de construcción pasiva que combina se con el pronombre de objeto indirecto para indicar acciones no deliberadas: Se les olvidó la cita. Se me confunden los datos. ¿Se te perdieron las llaves? Se nos acabó la gasolina. Al carro se le dañaron los frenos. No tengo el libro: se me quedó en casa. Mira, se te cayeron las llaves. Se le rompió el pantalón al sentarse. Para expresar que una idea viene a la mente de forma repentina o inesperada, se emplea esta misma construcción con el verbo ocurrir: Se nos ocurrió una idea brillante. No se me ocurre nada para resolver ese problema.	§ These verbs can be used in a particular passive construction combining se and the indirect object pronouns to stress that certain actions are nondeliberate or accidental: They forgot (about) the appointment. The data are confused in my mind. Did the keys got lost (on you)? We ran out of gas. The car's brakes got damaged. I don't have the book. I left it home (accidentally). Look, you dropped the keys (involuntarily). His pants tore when he sat down. "To occur to someone" in the sense of getting a sudden idea or impression is expressed by ocurrir in this kind of construction: We just got a brilliant idea. Nothing occurs to me (I can't think of anything).
¥ Molestarse en hacer algo indica que el sujeto realiza la acción con un esfuerzo de cortesía o sin la inclinación a hacerla.	¥ Molestarse en hacer algo means "to bother do something" in the sense of not being inclined to do it or do it out of courtesy.
∞ Entre otros sentidos, quedar indica lo que hay de un conjunto total después de haber sido modificado (Nos queda algo de dinero - después de gastar una parte). En ese caso, se usa como el verbo gustar (construcción valorativa). Quedarse ciego/sordo/mudo son expresiones comunes para indicar estos cambios de estado físicos y permanentes. Quedarse también significa permanecer en un lugar o en un estado (después de un cambio): Me quedé tranquilo después de que me llamaste.	∞ Among several other meanings, quedar is used in the sense of "having something left" from a set, as in "We have some money left" (after having spent part of it). In this case, it is used like gustar: (construcción valorativa). Quedarse ciego/sordo/mudo means "to become", particularly for a long-lasting change in physical abilities. Quedarse also means to stay (in a place) and remain in a state after some change has occurred: I got (was left) relaxed after you called me.