Breakdown of Ustedes tienen que cepillarse los dientes.
tener
to have
ustedes
you (plural)
que
that / than
cepillarse
to brush oneself
el diente
the tooth
Questions & Answers about Ustedes tienen que cepillarse los dientes.
Why do we use se here if we are talking to ustedes (you plural)?
In Spanish, the reflexive pronoun for both ustedes (you all) and ellos/ellas (they) is se. Even though it translates to "yourselves" in this sentence, se is the correct pronoun to match ustedes.
Why is se attached to the very end of cepillar?
When a reflexive verb is in its dictionary form (the infinitive), you can attach the reflexive pronoun directly to the end of it. Because the sentence uses tienen que (have to) first, the brushing verb stays in the infinitive, making it cepillarse.
Can I put the se somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! When you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like tienen que cepillar), you have two choices for the pronoun. You can attach it to the end (Ustedes tienen que cepillarse) or put it before the conjugated verb (Ustedes se tienen que cepillar). Both are completely natural and mean the exact same thing.
The English translation says "your teeth", but the Spanish says los dientes (the teeth). Why?
In Spanish, when you use a reflexive verb for an action involving your own body parts or clothing, you use "the" (el, la, los, las) instead of a possessive word like sus (your). The reflexive pronoun se already tells us whose teeth are being brushed!
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