Raciel Hernández 💫
Professional Teacher
7 Uses of the Pronoun "Se" in Spanish
What is “Se” in Spanish?
 
SE is a personal pronoun, that is, it is used to call people, things or animals without naming them.
 
Se cayó. (He/She fell)
In Spanish they have no gender, so you can use it for men or women. It also has no “number”, that is, you can use it for the plural (Ella, Él, Esos, Esas).
 
There are many rules to use this pronoun, but I decided to summarize the most important and the most used by any Latin American.
 
1. Reflexive Se in Spanish
 
The Se reflexivo is the one in which the action falls on the same subject.
 
That is, the personal pronoun is always used before a reflexive verb.
 
Examples:
 
Se lavó los pies (He washed his feet) – She washed his feet herself
Se ducha en las noches (He showers at night)- She showers at night herself
Se enamoró de ella (He fell in love with her)- He fell in love with her himself
 
2. Reciprocal Se
 
The Se Reflexivo is a bit confusing and it seems a bit Se Reciproco.
 
The difference is that reciprocal is used to indicate that two people, animals or things do an action at the same time.
 
Examples:
 
Mis padres se conocieron (My parents me) – My parents met each other
Se quieren mucho (They love each other a lot)
Nadia y Uriel se llaman a diario (Nadia and Uriel are called daily.

3. Se (les/le)
 
In this case, the se is used to replace another personal pronoun (Le or Les).
 
Les or le are used to replace him or her.
 
That is, in theory, there are phrases in which we can use him or her, but in certain cases, it is better to use Se.
 
Examples:
 
Les dije – Se los dije (I told them well)
Le di – Se lo di (I gave it to her)
Le tenemos que mandar un correo – Se lo tenemos que enviar (We have to send it to you)

4. Impersonal Se in Spanish
 
Se Impersonal is used not to say which is the subject of the action.
Examples:
•         Aquí se come bien – We don’t know where? (Here you eat well)
•         Se habla español – We don’t know where? (Spanish speaking)
•         Se hablara del asunto – We don’t who? (The matter will be discussed)
 
5. Pasive Se

t is very common to find it in sales announcements.
 
Examples:

Se vende casa (For Sale House)
Se vende comida ( For Sale Food)
Se alquila apartamento (Apartment for rent)

6. Pronominal verbs (Se)

There are certain verbs in Spanish, in what you should use Se.
 
Verbos Pronominales: arrepentirse, abrazar, besar, casarse, comer, irse, etc.

Examples:

Ellos se abrazan (they hug)
Mi padre se arrepiente (my father regrets)
Mi hermana no se queja nunca (My sister never complains)

7. Intensifier Se

It is also a bit confusing, but it is used to give a stronger sense to an action.
 
Examples:

¡Se bebió dos cafés! (He drank two coffees!)
¡Se fue a la playa! (She went to the beach!)
¡Se comió dos tacos! (He ate two tacos!)
In this case, it can be used for her and for him.

Taken from <em>Blania</em> <a href="https://www.blania.co/uses-se-spanish/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.blania.co/uses-se-spanish/</a>;
Jun 1, 2020 2:16 AM
Comments · 2
Les dije – Se los dije (I told them well)
Le di – Se lo di (I gave it to her)

Uff pensaba que siempre tenia que ser "le".. hmmm

Todavia se,lo,la, y le es muuyy confuso para mi. Podes escribir otro articulo sobre ese tema?

Tengo muchas dudas.
June 1, 2020
<em>SE</em> para eventos <em>inesperados</em>.?

June 1, 2020