Level 3 — Intermediate (CEFR: B1)
Unit 9 — Expanding the Present
Lesson 2 — Reflexive Verbs
Lesson Overview
Level: 3 — Intermediate Unit: 9 — Expanding the Present Lesson: 2 of 5 Estimated Time: 75 minutes
What this lesson covers:
- Reflexive pronouns and their spoken placement
- How to conjugate reflexive verbs in the present tense
- Core ministry reflexive verbs: llamarse, arrepentirse, convertirse, bautizarse, comprometerse, entregarse, rendirse, levantarse
- The curriculum key sentences
- Reflexive verbs in the preterite (ministry conversions and events)
- Reflexive verbs in the present perfect (life experience questions)
- Interpretation challenge: producing English equivalents that are not reflexive
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject performs an action on itself. In Spanish, they are:
| Subject | Reflexive pronoun |
|---|---|
| yo | me |
| tú | te |
| él/ella/usted | se |
| nosotros | nos |
| ellos/ustedes | se |
Placement of Reflexive Pronouns
In spoken Spanish, reflexive pronouns go immediately before the conjugated verb:
Me llamo Juan. — My name is Juan. (lit. I call myself Juan) Se arrepintió de sus pecados. — He repented of his sins. ¿Te has entregado a Cristo? — Have you surrendered to Christ?
Exceptions — pronoun attaches to the verb:
- Before an infinitive: attach to the infinitive → Quiero entregarme a Dios or Me quiero entregar a Dios
- Before a gerund: attach to the gerund → Está arrepintiéndose or Se está arrepintiendo
- After an affirmative command: attach → ¡Arrepiéntete! (Repent!)
The Core Ministry Reflexive Verbs
These eight verbs form the conversion and discipleship vocabulary. They appear constantly in testimonies, sermons, and pastoral contexts.
llamarse — to be called / to be named
Me llamo Juan. — My name is Juan. (I call myself Juan.) ¿Cómo te llamas? — What is your name? El ministerio se llama “Luz para las Naciones.” — The ministry is called “Light for the Nations.” Nos llamamos discípulos de Cristo. — We call ourselves disciples of Christ.
arrepentirse — to repent
Me arrepiento de todos mis pecados. — I repent of all my sins. Él se arrepintió y volvió al Padre. — He repented and returned to the Father. ¿Te arrepientes de corazón? — Do you repent with all your heart? Nos arrepentimos y pedimos el perdón de Dios. — We repent and ask God’s forgiveness.
Note: arrepentirse is stem-changing: e→ie in boot forms. Me arrepiento, te arrepientes, se arrepiente, nos arrepentimos, se arrepienten.
convertirse — to convert / to be converted / to turn
Me convertí a Cristo cuando tenía veinte años. — I converted to Christ when I was twenty. Se convirtió en un discípulo fiel. — He became a faithful disciple. ¿Cuándo te convertiste? — When did you convert/come to faith? Nos convertimos juntos — fue en la misma noche. — We converted together — it was the same night.
Note: convertirse is stem-changing: e→ie. Me convierto, te conviertes, se convierte, nos convertimos, se convierten.
bautizarse — to be baptized / to get baptized
Me bautizé tres meses después de convertirme. — I was baptized three months after converting. ¿Cuándo te vas a bautizar? — When are you going to get baptized? Se bautizaron en el río, ante toda la comunidad. — They were baptized in the river, before the whole community. Nos bautizamos como señal pública de nuestra fe. — We were baptized as a public sign of our faith.
comprometerse — to commit / to become committed
Me comprometo a seguir a Cristo sin importar el costo. — I commit to following Christ no matter the cost. Se comprometió con la visión de la iglesia. — She committed to the church’s vision. ¿Te comprometes a discipular a estas personas? — Do you commit to discipling these people? Nos comprometemos como cuerpo a cumplir esta misión. — We commit as a body to fulfilling this mission.
entregarse — to surrender / to give oneself
Me entrego completamente a Cristo. — I surrender completely to Christ. ¿Te has entregado a Cristo? — Have you surrendered to Christ? (curriculum example) Se entregó a Dios en esa noche de adoración. — She surrendered to God on that night of worship. Nos entregamos sin reservas al servicio del Señor. — We surrender ourselves without reservation to the Lord’s service.
rendirse — to surrender / to give up / to yield
Me rindo ante la voluntad de Dios. — I yield to God’s will. Se rindió a Cristo después de años de resistencia. — He surrendered to Christ after years of resistance. ¿Te rindes a lo que Dios quiere para tu vida? — Do you yield to what God wants for your life? Nos rendimos — no podemos hacer esto sin Él. — We surrender — we cannot do this without Him.
Note: rendirse vs. entregarse — both can mean “surrender,” but rendirse often conveys yielding after resistance, while entregarse conveys an act of giving oneself over. Both are high-frequency in ministry speech; the distinction carries nuance the interpreter should preserve.
levantarse — to rise / to stand up / to get up
Me levanto cada mañana a orar. — I get up every morning to pray. Se levantó y siguió a Jesús sin mirar atrás. — He got up and followed Jesus without looking back. ¡Levántense y vengan al frente! — Rise and come to the front! Nos levantamos a pesar del sufrimiento. — We rise despite the suffering.
The Curriculum Key Sentences
Me llamo Juan.
— My name is Juan.
This is the most basic reflexive introduction sentence. In interpretation contexts, it is the first thing a Spanish speaker typically says when introducing themselves. The interpreter must produce it without analysis — and must recognize that when a Spanish speaker says Me llamo, they are giving their name, not describing a physical action.
Él se arrepintió de sus pecados.
— He repented of his sins.
Se arrepintió — preterite of arrepentirse. The reflexive pronoun se comes before the conjugated verb arrepintió. In the preterite, stem-changing -IR verbs follow the -IR preterite pattern: third person singular arrepintió has the e→i stem change (arrepintió not arrepentió).
¿Te has entregado a Cristo?
— Have you surrendered to Christ?
Present perfect with a reflexive verb. The structure: te (reflexive pronoun) + has (auxiliary) + entregado (participle). In spoken Spanish, the reflexive pronoun always stays with the auxiliary, not the participle.
Reflexive Verbs Across Tenses
Present: Me arrepiento de mis pecados cada vez que oro. — I repent of my sins every time I pray.
Preterite: Se arrepintió y se bautizó el mismo domingo. — He repented and was baptized the same Sunday.
Imperfect: Se comprometía con todo lo que hacía, pero nunca con Dios. — He used to commit to everything he did, but never to God.
Present Perfect: ¿Te has rendido a la voluntad de Dios? — Have you surrendered to God’s will? Me he entregado completamente a Cristo. — I have surrendered completely to Christ.
Near Future: ¿Cuándo te vas a bautizar? — When are you going to get baptized? Se va a convertir — Dios está obrando en su corazón. — She is going to convert — God is working in her heart.
Simple Future: Se levantará y seguirá a Cristo. — He will rise and follow Christ.
Interpretation Challenge: English Equivalents
Reflexive verbs in Spanish often correspond to non-reflexive constructions in English:
| Spanish | Literal | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Me llamo Juan. | I call myself Juan. | My name is Juan. |
| Se arrepintió. | He repented himself. | He repented. |
| Se bautizó. | He baptized himself. | He was baptized. / He got baptized. |
| Me entrego. | I give myself. | I surrender. |
| Se levantó. | He raised himself. | He stood up. / He rose. |
| Se comprometió. | He committed himself. | He committed. / He made a commitment. |
| Nos rendimos. | We surrender ourselves. | We surrender. / We yield. |
The interpreter must hear the reflexive and produce the natural English equivalent — not a word-for-word translation. Se bautizó should flow as “He was baptized” or “He got baptized,” not “He baptized himself.”
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Reflexive Conjugation
Without notes, conjugate each verb in the present tense, all five forms, with pronouns:
llamarse: Me llamo / te llamas / se llama / nos llamamos / se llaman arrepentirse: Me arrepiento / te arrepientes / se arrepiente / nos arrepentimos / se arrepienten convertirse: Me convierto / te conviertes / se convierte / nos convertimos / se convierten
Exercise 2 — Tense Production
For each verb, produce one sentence in each tense listed:
entregarse: present, preterite, present perfect, near future bautizarse: present, preterite, present perfect levantarse: present, preterite, simple future
Exercise 3 — Interpretation Rapid Fire
A partner reads Spanish sentences. You produce the natural English equivalent immediately:
Me llamo María. → “My name is María.” Se arrepintió de sus pecados. → “He repented of his sins.” ¿Te has entregado a Cristo? → “Have you surrendered to Christ?” Se bautizaron en el río. → “They were baptized in the river.” Me convierto al Señor. → “I am turning to the Lord.” Nos comprometemos a servir. → “We commit to serving.” Se rindió a la voluntad de Dios. → “He surrendered to God’s will.”
Exercise 4 — Conversion Testimony
Produce an 8–10 sentence testimony in the third person (él/ella) using at least five reflexive verbs across multiple tenses. Describe someone’s conversion journey from life before faith through baptism.
Key Takeaways for This Lesson
Before moving to Lesson 3:
- Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, se — go before the conjugated verb
- The eight core ministry reflexives and their meanings
- Stem-changing reflexives: arrepentirse (e→ie), convertirse (e→ie), rendirse (e→i)
- In the preterite, arrepintió and convirtió have -IR third-person stem changes
- English rendering: produce natural equivalents, not word-for-word reflexive translations
- The curriculum key sentences: Me llamo Juan / Se arrepintió / ¿Te has entregado?
Daily Practice
Each day: produce the conversion sequence as a short narrative:
Se arrepintió. Se entregó. Se bautizó. Se comprometió. Se levantó.
Five sentences, five reflexive preterite verbs, the arc of conversion in under 30 seconds. When this sequence is automatic, produce it in the first person (Me arrepentí…) and then the first person plural (Nos arrepentimos…).