Doing things to each other
When two or more people do an action to each other (like loving each other or fighting), Spanish uses reciprocal pronouns. These are the same words as the plural reflexive pronouns:
- nos (we do it to each other)
- os (you all do it to each other)
- se (they do it to each other)
Because reciprocal actions involve more than one person, the verb is always plural.
| They love each other a lot; they are not enemies. | Ellos se aman mucho; no son enemigos. |
| We fight a lot, but we have already forgiven each other. | Nos peleamos mucho, pero ya nos hemos perdonado. |
| Why do you fight so much? | ¿Por qué os peleáis tanto? |
Love and conflict
Reciprocal pronouns are very common when talking about relationships. Verbs like comunicar (to communicate), odiar (to hate), and soportar (to stand) often take these pronouns to express mutual feelings.
| Happy friends communicate and do not argue. | Los amigos felices se comunican y no discuten. |
| Those girls hate each other and cannot stand each other. | Esas chicas se odian y no se soportan. |
| Good friends always admire each other. | Las buenas amigas siempre se admiran. |
Mutual life events
Some relationship verbs, like enamorarse (to fall in love) and separarse (to separate), already include a reflexive pronoun in their dictionary form. Conjugated in the plural, they naturally express mutual events like falling in love with or separating from each other.
| My sister and my friend have fallen in love. | Mi hermana y mi amigo se han enamorado. |
| My uncle and aunt no longer love each other; they have separated. | Mi tío y mi tía ya no se aman; se han separado. |
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