what is the difference between yo levanto or me levanto?

Question

Sometimes I see yo or tú before the verb and sometimes me or te or se. Like yo hablo and se levanta. I want to know the difference. Thanks.

Please note that it is mandatory on this forum to use correct spelling, grammar, and capitalization in your posts. - Issabela, Dec 9, 2009

Answer 1

A lot of Spanish verbs can act as reflexive verbs, which means that they refer to actions that a person preforms to, for, from, or off himself/herself. Many of these describe daily routines and every-day activities, like despertarse (to wake up), bañarse (to bathe) or vestirse (to get dressed). You will recognize the so-called "reflexive verb" by the reflexive pronoun attatched to it (se to the infinitive). If you use the presonal form of the verb, you need to put the correct reflexive pronoun in front of it:

.

So if you say: Me levanto de la cama - I get up from bed.

But: Levanto la paquete del suelo - I lift the package from the floor.

The reflexive pronouns that are used are the following:

me (for the yo form)

te (for the tú form)

se (fot the él, ella and usted form)

nos (for the nosotros form)

os (for the vosotros form)

se (for the ellos, ellas and ustedes form)

You can find full explanation of these in our reference article and watch this video lesson.