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Spanish Reciprocal Verbs
Reciprocal verbs are used to express the idea of reciprocity - doing something to each other. In Spanish, the plural forms (nosotros, vosotros, and ellos) of reflexive verbs are used to express this idea.
Some verbs can be used both reflexively and reciprocally, so the expressions el uno al otro or uno a otro can be added to emphasize the reciprocity. Note that these expressions are changed to agree with the subjects in gender and (sometimes*) number.
*I'm honestly not sure when to use these expressions in the singular or plural. If I find out, I'll update this lesson with the info. (If you know, please post on the Facebook.)
When you want to say "each other" but the preposition is not a, the reciprocal construction is not used; instead, the verb is used without a reflexive pronoun and the appropriate preposition replaces a in the expressions el uno al otro / uno a otro.
More about Spanish pronominal verbs:
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