Bueno, Louis, relájate.
Okay, Louis, relax.
In a command the pronoun goes on the end and joins the verb as one word, relájate, with an accent to keep the stress on LA.
From Suits · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "relax" in Spanish
relajarse
reflexive verbregular -arcommand: relájate
"To relax" in Spanish is relajarse. It's a reflexive verb, so a small pronoun goes with it: me relajo means I relax. To tell a friend to relax, say relájate.
Hear "relajarse" in real movie scenes
A command and an infinitive. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Oh, muchas veces, para relajarse y hacer alpinismo.
Oh, lots of times, to relax and go mountain climbing.
After para the verb stays in the infinitive with se attached. In a plain sentence the pronoun moves to the front, as in me relajo.
From El amor cuesta caro · Spanish audio
Relajarse in the present tense
The pronoun changes with the person, and the verb takes regular -ar endings.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| yo me relajo | I relax |
| tú te relajas | you relax |
| él / ella se relaja | he / she relaxes |
| nosotros nos relajamos | we relax |
| vosotros os relajáis | you all relax (Spain) |
| ellos / ellas se relajan | they relax |
Tip: To calm someone down, people also say tranquilo, or tranquila to a woman: take it easy.
Grammar: me relajo, relájate
Four points about the pronoun that comes with the verb.
A pronoun comes along
me relajo, te relajas, se relaja. The pronoun always matches the person who relaxes.In front in a sentence
In a normal statement it goes before the verb: En casa me relajo. Los domingos nos relajamos.On the end in a command
Relájate to a friend, Relájese to someone you call usted. The written accent keeps the stress in place.After another verb
Attach it or put it first: Quiero relajarme and Me quiero relajar mean the same thing.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
En casa me relajo.
I relax at home.
Es para ayudarle a relajarse.
It's to help him relax.
Relájate, todo está bien.
Relax, everything's fine.
Quiero relajarme.
I want to relax.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Yo relajo (meaning I relax)
✓Me relajo
Without me, relajar means to relax something else, like your muscles.
✗Relajate
✓Relájate
Adding te makes LA the third syllable from the end, so it needs a written accent.
✗Me voy a relajarme
✓Me voy a relajar
Use the pronoun once: before both verbs, or on the end as in Voy a relajarme.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
Free, and you don't need an account.
1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 34 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Relajarse starts with the same letters as relax, and its j is a long breath out: reh-lah-HAR-seh. Breathe out slowly on the j and you're halfway to relaxed.
Questions about "relax" in Spanish
How do you say relax in Spanish?
Relajarse, as in Me relajo en casa. To tell someone to relax, say Relájate or Tranquilo.
How do you say "relax" as a command in Spanish?
Relájate to a friend and Relájese to someone you address as usted. Both need the written accent.
How do you pronounce relajarse?
Say reh-lah-HAR-seh. The j is a breathy h from the throat, and the r at the start is rolled.
What's the difference between relajar and relajarse?
Relajarse is to relax yourself. Relajar relaxes something else: relajar los hombros means to relax your shoulders.
