How to Say "each other" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “each other” is “se” — use 'se' when the subject is plural (two or more people or things) performing an action on one another..
se
/seh//se/
Examples
Los hermanos se ayudan mucho.
The siblings help each other a lot.
Los amigos se abrazan.
The friends hug each other.
Mis padres se quieren mucho.
My parents love each other very much.
Se vieron en el parque.
They saw each other in the park.
Actions Between People
'Se' is used when two or more people do the same action to one another. It's the Spanish way of saying 'each other'.
Forgetting the Plural
Mistake: “Él se hablan.”
Correction: Ellos se hablan. (They talk to each other.) This 'each other' meaning only works when you're talking about more than one person.
nos
/nohs//nos/
Examples
Nos vemos mañana.
We will see each other tomorrow.
Nos levantamos a las siete.
We get up at seven.
Nos lavamos las manos antes de comer.
We wash our hands before eating.
Nos conocemos desde la escuela.
We've known each other since school.
Action Bouncing Back
Think of 'nos' in this case as a signal that the action of the verb is bouncing back to 'we'. In 'nos lavamos', the action of washing comes back to 'us'.
Meaning 'Each Other'
Sometimes, 'nos' can mean that the action happens between the people in the 'we' group. 'Nos ayudamos' means 'We help each other'.
Mixing up 'nos' and 'nuestro'
Mistake: “'Nos lavamos el pelo.'”
Correction: This is correct! Unlike English ('we wash our hair'), Spanish uses 'nos' to show it's happening to us, and 'el/la' for the body part. Avoid saying 'lavamos nuestro pelo'.
Confusing 'se' and 'nos'
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