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  #1  
Old April 21, 2010, 07:15 PM
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Reflexive verbs questions

Hi. I am currently studying reflexive verbs in Spanish and I would like to aska simple question:

How would I say "I can do it myself."

Several attempts I have had are:

Me puedo hacerlo.
Me lo puedo hacer.
Lo puedo hacerme.

Neither sound correct to me...

Last edited by bricks; April 21, 2010 at 07:18 PM.
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  #2  
Old April 21, 2010, 08:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Hi. I am currently studying reflexive verbs in Spanish and I would like to aska simple question:

How would I say "I can do it myself."

Several attempts I have had are:

Me puedo hacerlo.
Me lo puedo hacer.
Lo puedo hacerme.

Neither sound correct to me...
Nice tries!

Puedo hacerlo yo mismo.
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  #3  
Old April 21, 2010, 08:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post
Nice tries!

Puedo hacerlo yo mismo.
I haven't come across this "mismo" yet. How do I know when to use mismo or a reflexive pronoun?

Thanks.

Edit: From what I have read further "mismo" is used in this context when it follows a pronoun? In this case "lo". Correct?

Last edited by bricks; April 21, 2010 at 08:52 PM.
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  #4  
Old April 21, 2010, 08:53 PM
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Myself, when used the way it is in your sentence, is not reflexive. It is giving emphasis to the subject, and it is said 'yo mismo'. It has nothing to do with the presence of the direct object pronoun.

Quite often, the Spanish reflexive verbs will not have a direct translation into English (meaning, 'myself', or the other reflexive pronouns, won't appear in the translation).
Me peino. = I comb my hair.
Me lavo los dientes. = I brush my teeth.
Me cepillo. = I brush my hair.
Me duermo. = I'm falling asleep.
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Old April 21, 2010, 11:18 PM
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myself = yo mismo
yourself = tú mismo
himself = él mismo
herself = ella misma
ourselves = nosotros mismos
yourselves = ustedes mismos
themselves = ellos mismos
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  #6  
Old April 22, 2010, 09:51 AM
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@Bricks: Adding to what Rusty and Chileno have said,

Me puedo hacerlo.
Lo puedo hacerme.

But "me lo puedo hacer" or "puedo hacérmelo" is correct, if you mean "I can do it to myself".

-- ¿Te puedes hacer ese peinado en casa? -> Can you do that hairstyle at home?
-- Sí, me lo puedo hacer. / Sí, puedo hacérmelo. -> Yes, I can do it.

Ayúdame con el nudo de la corbata. No puedo hacérmelo. / No me lo puedo hacer.
Help me with the tie knot. I can't do it.

In both cases, "to oneself" is implied because the speaker is supposed to be doing something to himself/herself, like styling her hair or wearing his tie.
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Old April 23, 2010, 02:42 PM
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Excellent. Thank you gentlemen.
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Old April 23, 2010, 06:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bricks View Post
Excellent. Thank you gentlemen.
Angelica is a female's name.
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Old April 25, 2010, 02:49 PM
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I am sorry. Please accept my apologies.
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Old April 25, 2010, 06:25 PM
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@Bricks: no need for apologizing.
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