Reflexive verbs

[Johntan]

Hi everyone,
I have a quick question about reflexive verbs. When using, for example, levantarse and wanting to say "my family and I woke up", would you say "mi familia y yo nos levantamos"? or can the nos be left out? Basically what I'm asking is do you always need to include me, te, se etc. when using reflexive verbs, past, present and future?

[xchic]

Originally Posted by Johntan

Hi everyone,
I have a quick question about reflexive verbs. When using, for example, levantarse and wanting to say "my family and I woke up", would you say "mi familia y yo nos levantamos"? or can the nos be left out? Basically what I'm asking is do you always need to include me, te, se etc. when using reflexive verbs, past, present and future?

'levantar' is to lift or raise something

'levantarse' is to lift or raise oneself - i.e. to get up

When using a reflexive verb you have to use the me, te etc., or the verb is no longer reflexive & the inference is that the action is being performed on something else. Reflexive verbs by their very nature infer that the action is being performed by someone to themselves.

[Perikles]

A temporary response until somebody posts who knows what they are talking about:

Edit: that doesn't refer to xchic: he/she got in before me.

Yes, you always need the reflexive pronoun, otherwise the verb could be transitive, so you and your family lift something else up in the morning, not yourselves. (Just to confuse things, the Spanish talk of pronominal verbs more than reflexive ones)

levantar al abuelo de la silla: to get grandpa out of his chair

[Johntan]

Thanks guys, sorted out my problem post haste. Just another quick question; I am trying to say "we started preparing". Would this be empezamos preperar, empezamos a preperar, or empezamos preperando? Whichever one it is, will this apply to all sentences involving "we started something" or "we ran something" etc.
Thank you

[xchic]

Originally Posted by Perikles

A temporary response until somebody posts who knows what they are talking about:

Edit: that doesn't refer to xchic: he/she got in before me.

Yes, you always need the reflexive pronoun, otherwise the verb could be transitive, so you and your family lift something else up in the morning, not yourselves. (Just to confuse things, the Spanish talk of pronominal verbs more than reflexive ones)

levantar al abuelo de la silla: to get grandpa out of his chair

she

& there was me thinking the 'chic' was clue

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Johntan

Thanks guys, sorted out my problem post haste. Just another quick question; I am trying to say "we started preparing". Would this be empezamos preperar, empezamos a preperar , or empezamos preperando? Whichever one it is, will this apply to all sentences involving "we started something" or "we ran something" etc.
Thank you

If in doubt, an infinitive is the best bet in Spanish, especially when the alternative in English is with an infinitive: we started to prepare.

Originally Posted by xchic

she

& there was me thinking the 'chic' was clue

I had noted the clue, and was 90% sure, but people get amazingly touchy if you presume wrongly.

Edit: Note to post-police: I can't help it if others post at the same time.

[xchic]

Originally Posted by Johntan

Thanks guys, sorted out my problem post haste. Just another quick question; I am trying to say "we started preparing". Would this be empezamos preperar, empezamos a preperar, or empezamos preperando? Whichever one it is, will this apply to all sentences involving "we started something" or "we ran something" etc.
Thank you

Originally Posted by Perikles

If in doubt, an infinitive is the best bet in Spanish, especially when the alternative in English is with an infinitive: we started to prepare.

I agree with Perikles, but empezamos a preparar