Reflexive Verbs in Brazilian Portuguese: Se, Me, and Te — Practice

Understand what a reflexive pronoun does

A reflexive construction can show that the subject performs an action on or for themselves. The pronoun changes with the subject: me (I), te (you, informal in many varieties), se (he, she, you formal, or they), and nos (we). The verb ending still carries important information about who is acting.

Portuguese dictionaries often list these verbs with -se, as in chamar-se (to be called) or sentir-se (to feel). The written ending helps you recognize the verb, but the pronoun moves into the sentence according to Portuguese grammar and style.

Use reflexive patterns for daily routines

Many routine verbs can describe an action someone does to themselves: levantar-se (to get up), vestir-se (to get dressed), and preparar-se (to get ready). In everyday Brazilian speech, you will also hear pronouns placed before the verb, as in eu me levanto. Formal writing may place them differently.

Do not memorize only the infinitive. Learn the subject, pronoun, and conjugated verb as one phrase. That helps you produce a natural sentence without pausing to rebuild the grammar from English.

Notice that not every verb maps directly from English

Some Portuguese verbs commonly appear with a reflexive pronoun even when the English translation does not use “oneself.” Sentir-se bem means “to feel well,” and chamar-se is the ordinary way to give someone’s name. In other cases, a verb can appear with or without a pronoun and the meaning changes.

Treat the pronoun as part of the verb pattern you are learning. A literal English translation can be useful at first, but it may sound unnatural or misleading if you use it as a permanent word-for-word rule.

Practice one routine from beginning to end

Describe three steps in your morning using first-person phrases, then change one sentence to você or a gente. Notice how the pronoun changes with the subject. Keep the story simple and say it aloud so you practice the sound and order together.

When reading, look for the infinitive with -se and find the subject and pronoun in the sentence. That small check will help you recognize the construction even when it appears in a longer paragraph.

Remember: Write a three-step routine and underline each subject and reflexive pronoun. Use Real Life Portuguese audio to notice these forms in conversation, and ask an I Speak Portuguese teacher to correct your own routine sentences.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. My name is Alex. (literally, I call myself Alex.)

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu me chamo Alex.

2. She feels better today.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela se sente melhor hoje.

3. We are getting ready for the trip.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Nós nos preparamos para a viagem.

4. I get up at seven.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eu me levanto às sete.

5. You get dressed quickly.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você se veste rápido.

6. We get ready before class.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente se prepara antes da aula.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Write a three-step routine and underline each subject and reflexive pronoun. Use Real Life Portuguese audio to notice these forms in conversation, and ask an I Speak Portuguese teacher to correct your own routine sentences.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Reflexive Verbs in Brazilian Portuguese: Se, Me, and Te lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.