Would you please give a few examples to show the difference between recíproco and reflexivo.
The question is clear mentioned in the Question Field. I look forward to getting a reply from you. Thanks In Advance
1 Answer
The only real difference between reflexiive and reciprocal is the number of subects.
Reciprocal verb use requires a plural subject. Reflexive can be singular or plural.
Its use is very similar to English. In English with reflexive use we optionally use reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, him/her/itself, ourselves,yourselves, themselves) and with reciprocal use we use one another , or each other.
Spanish optionally uses a mí mismo, a ti mismo, a sí mismo, nosotros mismos, vuestros mismos, ellos mismos, and for reciprocal, el uno al otro.
In reflexive use the action of the verb is mirrored back onto the subject. In reciprocal use the verb's action is reflected back onto a plural subject.
In some cases the action needs modified with a reciprocal/reflexive pronoun to know if the actions is reflexive or reciprocal.
nos vistimos.....we are dressing ourselves or we are dressing each other. You need to use a reflexive pronoun (nosotros mismos) or reciprocal pronoun (el uno al otro) to know for sure.
Of course, both reflexive and reciprocal verb uses are pronominal and employ a reflexive pronoun along with the verb.
