about reflexive verbs

Question

I understand the following three sentences.

1. Me hablo.

2. Me levanto (a las 6:30 de la mañana).

3. Me acuesto (a las 11:00 de la noche).

And I also understand the following two sentences.

1. Lavo la cara. = I wash the face. (But it doesn't tell us whose face.)

2. Me lavo la cara. = I wash my face.

But if I say "Lavo mi cara", is it grammatically acceptable?

Or do I have to say "Me lavo mi cara"?

Answer 1

This is one of my favorites. When speaking of your own body parts they are always addressed with "the" and not "my". Why? Who knows. So "Me lavo mi cara"? will be understood but it is not correct from a native speaker standpoint. At least this is my understanding.

I agree. "Me lavo mi cara" is not the most correct form because it is redundant, but it is not preposterous. And yes, "lavo mi cara" is grammatically acceptable as well. - 003492fc, Aug 23, 2013

Got it! Muchas gracias! And thank atxeko. - joygogo, Aug 23, 2013

Hola, gringojrf! One more question. How about "Me estoy poniendo mi chaqueta"? Is it correct? Or do I have to say "Me estoy poniedo la chaqueta"? - joygogo, Aug 23, 2013

La chaqueta sounds more natural, but both are ok, I think. - annierats, Aug 23, 2013

I agree with Annierats, but personally I use "mi" with clothing. - gringojrf, Aug 23, 2013

Well, most people wear their own,Gring, bu tif you are in the habit of wearing other people's it might be worth stressing it! k - annierats, Aug 23, 2013

lol annierats. - gringojrf, Aug 24, 2013

Answer 2

Hi joygogo…and welcome to SpanishDict.

The problem that you’re encountering lies in the eductional system. When a verb is (vpr)…it means that it is verb prenominal reflexive. That is…it is a verb which takes on a subject pronoun that can be reflexive.

Our educational system finds it easier to teach that every verb that is vpr…is an active reflexive verb. That is, that the verb is doing the action to itself. This is a horrible way to teach.

Whenever a verb is vpr…you should always look for its personal meaning first.

Dormir – is to sleep. Dormirse – is to fall asleep. It is not – to sleep oneself.

Caer – to fall. Caerse – to fall down.

Lavar – to wash. Lavarse – (the personal meaning – to wash oneself).

Se lava la cara. He is washing his face. The face that he is washing is personal to him.Thus, he is washing his face. (Su) is not needed. You've already identified the personal relationship to the body part.

So... Me lavo la cara. The face that I am washing is personal to me. So, I am wasing my face.

Always remember to look for the personal or assigned meaning of the verb first.

Many thanks! - joygogo, Aug 24, 2013

Answer 3

As a quick rule of thumb: If it's obvious from the context it's yours, Spanish uses "el/la" instead of "mi/tu/su".

For example:

Me duele el brazo = My arm hurts

Pónganse las chaquetas = "Put on y'all's jackets"

Pescador1's right though, that in everyday speech, this rule sometimes goes out the window.

Thanks! Got it! - joygogo, Aug 24, 2013

Answer 4

In Spanish it is not grammatically correct to use possessives like "mi" with body parts. However, just like in any other language, grammar rules are broken, and you will see this usage all the time.

Oh, I see. Gracias! - joygogo, Aug 23, 2013