Introduction

reflejarse means “to be reflected”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to be reflected” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows reflejarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “La imagen se refleja en el espejo por la mañana.” — “The image is reflected in the mirror.”

reflejarse in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how reflejarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “La imagen se refleja en el espejo cada día.” — “The image is reflected in the mirror.”
  2. “La imagen se refleja en el espejo cada día.” — “The image is reflected in the mirror.”
  3. “La imagen se refleja en el espejo siempre.” — “The image is reflected in the mirror.”
  4. “La imagen se refleja en el espejo todos los días.” — “The image is reflected in the mirror.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “La imagen se reflejó en el espejo ayer.” — “The image was reflected in the mirror.” (preterite) 6. “La imagen se reflejó en el espejo ayer.” — “The image was reflected in the mirror.” (preterite) 7. “La imagen se reflejaba en el espejo cuando era joven.” — “The image used to be reflected in the mirror.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “La imagen se reflejará en el espejo mañana.” — “The image will be reflected in the mirror.” (future) 9. “La imagen se ha reflejado en el espejo hoy.” — “The image has been reflected in the mirror.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que la imagen se refleje en el espejo.” — “I hope that the image is reflected in the mirror.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “La imagen se refleja en el espejo cada semana.” — “The image is reflected in the mirror.” 12. “Las imágenes se reflejan en el espejo normalmente.” — “The images are reflected in the mirror.”

reflejarse in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how reflejarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿La imagen se refleja en el espejo?” — The image is reflected in the mirror?

Diego: “Sí, la imagen se refleja en el espejo cada día.” — Yes, it is reflected in the mirror every day.

Sofía: “¿Y las imágenes? ¿También se reflejan en el espejo?” — And the others? They are reflected in the mirror too?

Diego: “Sí, todos se reflejan en el espejo. Es normal.” — Yes, they all are reflected in the mirror. It is normal.

A short paragraph

La imagen se refleja en el espejo cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how reflejarse works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo reflejo en el espejo — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make reflejarse yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is reflejé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — refleje — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of reflejarse.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For reflejarse, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: reflejamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Because reflejarse is reflexive, it always needs its pronoun: yo me reflejo en el espejo, not yo reflejo en el espejo. Without me, the sentence either means something else or means nothing at all. The pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se — learn them with the verb, not as an afterthought.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he reflejado en el espejo. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy reflejado is not the present perfect of reflejarse — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing reflejarse with reflexionar

reflejarse and reflexionar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of reflejarse — be reflected — the sentence needs reflejarse; if it needs the meaning of reflexionar, use that verb instead.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of reflejarse in the present?

  • A. reflejas
  • B. refleja
  • C. reflejamos
  • D. reflejo

2. What is the tu form of reflejarse in the preterite?

  • A. reflejamos
  • B. reflejaste
  • C. reflejé
  • D. reflejó

3. What is the el form of reflejarse in the imperfect?

  • A. reflejabas
  • B. reflejábamos
  • C. reflejabais
  • D. reflejaba

4. What is the nosotros form of reflejarse in the future?

  • A. reflejará
  • B. reflejaremos
  • C. reflejaré
  • D. reflejarás

5. What is the vosotros form of reflejarse in the present perfect?

  • A. he reflejado
  • B. has reflejado
  • C. ha reflejado
  • D. habéis reflejado

6. What is the ellos form of reflejarse in the present subjunctive?

  • A. refleje
  • B. reflejen
  • C. refleje
  • D. reflejes

7. What is the yo form of reflejarse in the preterite?

  • A. reflejaste
  • B. reflejó
  • C. reflejamos
  • D. reflejé

8. What is the tu form of reflejarse in the imperfect?

  • A. reflejábamos
  • B. reflejabas
  • C. reflejaba
  • D. reflejaba

9. What is the el form of reflejarse in the future?

  • A. reflejaré
  • B. reflejarás
  • C. reflejaremos
  • D. reflejará

10. What is the nosotros form of reflejarse in the conditional?

  • A. reflejaría
  • B. reflejaríamos
  • C. reflejaría
  • D. reflejarías

Answer key

  1. reflejo — The present table gives yo = reflejo.
  2. reflejaste — The preterite table gives tu = reflejaste.
  3. reflejaba — The imperfect table gives el = reflejaba.
  4. reflejaremos — The future table gives nosotros = reflejaremos.
  5. habéis reflejado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis reflejado.
  6. reflejen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = reflejen.
  7. reflejé — The preterite table gives yo = reflejé.
  8. reflejabas — The imperfect table gives tu = reflejabas.
  9. reflejará — The future table gives el = reflejará.
  10. reflejaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = reflejaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use reflejarse in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “La imagen se refleja en el espejo.” — “The image is reflected in the mirror.” Do not forget the reflexive pronoun: it goes before the verb. Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of reflejarse to learn first?

Learn the present yo form reflejo first, then the preterite yo form reflejé and the participle reflejado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund reflejando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is reflejarse reflexive?

Yes — reflejarse is reflexive, so it always takes me, te, se, nos, os or se. You say yo me reflejo, never just yo reflejo. The pronoun goes before the conjugated verb, or attached to the infinitive and gerund.

Where can I see the full conjugation of reflejarse?

On the main conjugation page for reflejarse, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links