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¡Bienvenidos a Master Spanish Weekly!
This week, I’m excited to explore two verb types that often get a little mixed up: verbos afectivos and verbos reflexivos. We'll take a closer look at them with some real-life examples, helping you use both more naturally!

Vamos, paso a paso👇

📘 Understanding Verbos Afectivos vs Verbos Reflexivos

🧠 What are Verbos Reflexivos?

Reflexive verbs are used when the subject performs the action on itself. You’ll always see a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) before the verb.

They’re very common in everyday routines like getting up, showering, dressing, etc.

✅ Examples:

• Me levanto a las 7. → I get (myself) up at 7.

• Te duchas rápido. → You shower quickly.

• Se acuesta tarde. → He/she goes to bed late.

🔁 Reflexive Verb Conjugation: LEVANTARSE (to get up)

❤️ What are Verbos Afectivos?

These are emotion-based or sensation-based verbs like gustar. Structurally, they’re reversed: the subject in English becomes the object in Spanish.

These verbs are usually conjugated in the third person (singular or plural), and the pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) refers to who is feeling the emotion or being affected.

✅ Common Affective Verbs:

• Gustar (to like)

• Encantar (to love something)

• Molestar (to bother)

• Interesar (to interest)

• Doler (to hurt)

✅ Examples:

• Me gusta el café. → I like coffee. (Literally: Coffee is pleasing to me.)

• Nos molesta el ruido. → The noise bothers us.

• Le duelen los pies. → His/her feet hurt.

💡 Affective Verb Structure: GUSTAR

📌 Quick tip: Use "A mí / A ti..." especially when you want to highlight or clarify who you're talking about, especially when the context isn’t clear or when using gustar with multiple people.

🧩 Mini Quiz:

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb. Decide if it's reflexive or affective.

• Yo siempre __________ (levantarse) temprano.

• A ella __________ (gustar) mucho el café colombiano.

• Nosotros __________ (vestirse) con traje para ir al trabajo.

• A mis amigos __________ (molestar) hablar sobre política.

• ¿Tú ___________ (reunirse) con tus compañeros de trabajo fuera del trabajo?

📥 Click here to take the quiz and check your answers

🆚 English vs. Spanish: Two grammar rules

1️⃣ Gender Rules (and the Exceptions)

In Spanish, nouns are masculine or feminine, and articles and adjectives must match:

🟦 Masculine:

el libro, el coche, el perro

🟥 Feminine:

la casa, la ventana, la mesa

📌 Exception #1 – El + Feminine Nouns with Stressed 'A'
Feminine nouns that begin with a stressed “a” take “el” in singular for better pronunciation, but they’re still feminine:

el agua está fría - el alma está tranquila - el águila está herida

✅ Note: The adjective stays feminine (fría, tranquila, herida)

📌 Exception #2 – Some nouns don’t follow logic at all:

• la mano (the hand – feminine, ends in “o”)

• el día (the day – masculine, ends in “a”)

• el mapa (the map – masculine)

🧠 Tip: Most nouns follow patterns, but some you’ll learn through exposure and practice.

2️⃣ Questions in Spanish

In English, we use helping verbs like do, does, will, would to form questions. In Spanish, these helping verbs don’t exist. Instead, the question is formed by simply conjugating the main verb.

• Do you speak Spanish? → ¿Hablas español?

• Does he live here? → ¿Él vive aquí?

• Will they come tomorrow? → ¿Vendrán mañana?

• Would you like some tea? → ¿Te gustaría un poco de té?

🎥 Want to review both rules quickly? Watch my short Instagram reel explaining it here 👇🏼

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🙏 Gracias por leer

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Un abrazo,

Alejandro.