MINI-LESSON

Reflexive & Non-reflexive Direct-Object Pronouns

To express these ideas, keep in mind that the natural wording in English is different from Spanish. Make sure to add an indirect object and to use the word "the" in Spanish: don't think "he breaks his leg" but rather "he breaks himself the leg".

This same structure is used for many actions that are part of one's daily routine to get ready: in Spanish, don't think "she washes her hair" but rather "she washes herself the hair".

Recall that in a sentence like "se corta" ("he cuts himself"), the verb has one object: se is the direct object of the verb.

But in a sentence like "se corta el dedo" ("he cuts himself the finger"), the verb has two objects: el dedo becomes the direct object of the verb, and se is now the indirect object of the verb.