Reciprocal Constructions

Remember our example of Juan looking at himself?  We know how to say

• But how do we say "Juan and María look at each other"?  This is where the Reciprocal Reflexes come in.  They are the same as the plural Reflexive Pronouns:

• Notice that in reciprocal constructions that we use only the plural reflexive pronouns.  This is because there are always at least two people involved.  The conjugation of the verb will help tell you if you are looking at a Reflexive or Reciprocal construct.

If you see the sentence

you know it is someone looking at him or herself, because the verb is singular; only one person is acting.  Therefore, the se is a Reflexive pronoun.

• What if the sentence says "Se miran" ?  This is a bit trickier.  Because miran is plural, we know that more than one person is involved.  So the se could be a Reciprocal pronoun, meaning "They look at each other."  But it could also be Reflexive, meaning "They look at themselves."
• How do you know the difference?  The context of the conversation you are having or the material that you are reading will tell you.  For example, in a steamy scene in which we read that the hero and heroine of a romance novel Se besaron, it is far more likely to mean "They kissed (each other)" than "They kissed themselves."