Ei, pessoal! Hey, guys?

Como estão se sentindo hoje? How are you feeling today?

We use reflexive verbs when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person, that is, the agent both performs and receives the action. For example:

• Se apresente para o grupo | Introduce yourself to the group

Therefore, the reflexive form in Portuguese corresponds to the pronouns ‘self’ or ‘selves’ in English. Look at the chart bellow with the verb introduce in the present:

Eu me apresento | I introduce myself

Você se apresenta | You introduce yourself

Ele/ ela se apresenta | He/she introduces him/herself

Nós nos apresentamos | We introduce ourselves

Vocês se apresentam | You introduce yourselves

Eles se apresentam | They introduce themselves

As you can see, these verbs are conjugated like regular ones, but note that the reflexive pronoun must agree with gender and number. Also, the pronoun can be placed both before and after the verb, but in Brazilian Portuguese (mostly in spoken or informal situations), we use it before the verb.

However, there are a lot more reflexive verbs in the Portuguese language than in English. So, sometimes a verb may require the reflexive pronoun in Portuguese, but the same verb won’t need that in English, which may sound a little strange in the beginning. Again, don’t worry about memorizing any of it, these things often come naturally if you practice enough. To make it simple, let’s see some examples with reflexive verbs so you can have a better idea of how it is used and compare:

• Minha irmã demora muito para se arrumar | My sister takes too long to get ready
• Vou embora, não estou me sentindo bem | I’m leaving, I’m not feeling so well
• Por que você entrou no táxi sem se despedir? | Why did you get into the cab without saying goodbye?
• Me lembrei de você ontem | I thought about you yesterday
• Meu pai se parece com o Tom Hanks | My dad looks like Tom Hanks
• Como aquela atriz se chama? | What is that actress’ name?
• Ele se esqueceu completamente do meu aniversário | He completely forgot my birthday
• Eles se arrependem muito de não ter ido no show | They really regret not going to the concert
• Cuidado com o vidro quebrado, você vai se machucar | Be careful with the broken glass, you’re going to get hurt
• Queremos nos casar em maio | We want to get married in May
• Não acredito que vocês se perderam | I can’t believe you got lost
• Onde vocês querem se sentar? | Where do you want to sit?
• Ande rápido ou vamos nos atrasar! | Hurry or we’ll be late!
• Os intercambistas se apaixonaram pelo Rio de Janeiro | The exchange students fell in love with Rio de Janeiro
• Eu me pergunto se foi uma boa decisão | I ask myself if it was a good decision
• Esperamos nos divertir muito na viagem | We hope to have a lot of fun on this trip
• Meu irmão se cortou preparando o jantar | My brother cut himself making dinner
• Você ainda não se vestiu? A festa vai começar | Are you not dressed yet? The party is about to start
• Nós gostamos de nos levantar cedo | We like to get up early