Key learning points

1. The SSC [ge] is pronounced as in ‘gente’ and [gi] as in ‘imaginar’.
2. When the subject and object of a verb are the same, in Spanish we use reflexive pronouns before the verb e.g. 'Me lavo.'
3. To say you do something to or for yourself, we use 'te' before the verb in Spanish e.g. 'Te pones un vestido.'
4. In English we sometimes leave out reflexive pronouns, but we never do in Spanish.
5. 'Me' and 'te' look and sound similar to the possessive adjectives 'mi' and 'tu', but their meanings are different.

Keywords

• [ge] - sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'gente', meaning 'people'

• [gi] - sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'imaginar', meaning 'to imagine, imagining'

• Reflexive pronoun - pronoun used to indicate doing something to or for yourself, words like 'myself' and 'yourself'

• Me - 'myself' in Spanish

• Te - 'yourself' in Spanish

Common misconception