Can someone please tell me why the reflexive form is used for decorar and pintar in this sentence below? I like in Spanish, when there is no subject(thing or person doing the action), then the verbs "

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Zac Willmington

Can someone please tell me why the reflexive form is used for decorar and pintar in this sentence below? I like in Spanish, when there is no subject(thing or person doing the action), then the verbs "do it to themselves" so to speak. Estos objetos redondos se decoraban y se pintaban de colores muy brillantes.

Dec 21, 2022 3:30 AM

Answers · 5

I think the explanation is that here the impersonal "se" is being used. It's the equivalent to the English passive form: "Those round objects were decorated and painted...", although we can use the Spanish passive too: "... eran decorados y pintados..." It can answer the question "Como se hacía X?" (How was X done?)

December 21, 2022