Reflexive verbs and possessive pronouns

Question

I am currently working on lesson 2.5 "Reflexive Verbs and the Morning Routine" and I have noticed something that seems odd to me as a native English speaker.

In English, it's "They brush their teeth after breakfast", however en español it is "Se cepillan los dientes después del desayuno."

Similarly, "I wash my hair." and "Me lavo el pelo."

I believe the article is used because you use a reflexive verb when the subject is doing the action to itself, making the possessive pronoun unnecessary and redundant... but I am not sure.

Is it ever appropriate to use a possessive pronoun in conjunction with a reflexive verb (perhaps for emphasis) or would it just sound weird no matter the situation?

Answer 1

Hi Holly,

I understand the logic that led you to conclude that the use of the reflexive verb caused the use of the definite article instead of the possessive pronoun.

However, that isn't the case. In Spanish, the definite article is used with clothing, body parts and other personal items.

It is very common to use the definite article in Spanish in cases where a possessive adjective (such as "my") would be used in English. Examples:

¡Abre los ojos! (Open your eyes!)

Perdió los zapatos. (He lost his shoes.)

Thanks, I think I understand now. :) It was just happenstance that I noticed this when studying reflexive verbs and drew the wrong conclusion from it. - hollyjollyberry, Dec 1, 2011