Trying to understand when to use 'me' and 'te' before a verb

Question

I'm trying to understand why sometimes verbs have a direct object pronoun before them and sometimes don't. Here's the sentence I came across "A menudo yo me ducho a las siete." I'm confused as to why "me" is necessary. Don't we already know that the subject is "yo" couldn't it just be "A menudo yo ducho a las siete"?

I don't understand when 'me','se','te' should be used. If I were to say "Yo como pan" that's right. But what's the reason keeping it from being "Yo me como pan" if I was to go by example of the first sentence.

Answer 1

Those kind of verbs are known as reflexive verbs. You can learn more about them here. As the adjective indicates those are the verbs whose action reflects into the subject itself. Using your example, when you take a shower, you're cleaning your own body, you're cleaning yourself.

They are also known as pronominales because the presence of a pronoun before the verb. This denomination is the one recommended by the RAE, one of the main authorities regarding the Spanish language.

First of all, remember that we tend to omit the personal pronoun because that information is already include in the verb tense. We use to say "me ducho" instead of "yo me ducho".

In case of doubt about the use of the reflexive pronoun, you can look for the verb in the DRAE, you'll find there this special annotation to indicate that the verb is reflexive/pronominal: "U. t. c. prnl." (Utilizado también como pronominal) or just "prnl." (pronominal)

duchar

1. tr. Dar una ducha (‖ proyección de agua). U. t. c. prnl.

On the other hand, "comer" is a tricky verb regarding this aspect because you can say

Me como una barra de pan todos los días

or

Como una barra de pan todos los días

If you check comer in the DRAE, while it can be pronominal in some cases, in yours "me" is not mandatory and it can be omitted, the verb is not reflexive there. Both sentences mean exactly the same.

Answer 2

Memorize the difference with an example: “Primero me lavo yo y después lavo a mi bebé.”

Answer 3

In the sentence ‘A menudo yo me ducho a las siete’, you can omit ‘yo’ but not ‘me’. Literal translation always creates errors, the grammar of different languages is never the same. ‘I wash my hands’ becomes ‘Me lavo las manos’, not ‘Lavo mis manos’. Reflexive verbs and pronouns are used much more extensively in Spanish than in English. There is a difference in meaning between ‘lavar’ and ‘lavarse’: ‘lavar’ means to wash, ‘lavarse’ to wash oneself. ‘Lavarse’ is conjugated as ‘me lavo, te lavas, se lava, nos lavamos, os laváis, se lavan’. You cannot omit the reflexive pronoun without changing the meaning.

Answer 4

A verb in Spanish is reflexive if the subject and the object are the same. This means that the subject is doing the action to itself, not to something or someone else.

An example: “I wash myself” is reflexive, whereas “I wash my car” is not reflexive.

Perhaps you are familiar with how we say "My name is ..." in Spanish, we literally say: "I call myself ..."

The verb “llamar” means “to call,” e.g., “Mi mamá me llama todos los viernes” (My mom calls me every Friday).

However, the reflexive form of the verb “llamarse,” which literally means “to call oneself,” is used to express one’s name. For instance, “Me llamo Carlos” means “My name is Carlos,” which is literally “I call myself Carlos.”

Read more on: Reflexive Verbs in Spanish