chris bartlett
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Se se se…..What is ‘se’ anyway?

the spanish word se

In this class were going to look at a very small word that can cause you big problems if you’re learning Spanish.

Se

If you’ve read any text in Spanish you’ll almost certainly have come across ‘se’ already. Similarly, if you’ve ever listened to Spanish songs, watched Spanish films or simply listened to native speakers, you’ll have heard this word many times, although in spoken Spanish, it’s not always so easy to recognise.

Se has two main functions, both of which are super important.

1. A reflexive pronoun

Spanish has many verbs which are reflexive. In theory reflexive verbs are used to describe actions which we do to ourselves (the action is ‘reflected’ back onto the person who carries it out). For example:

  • ducharse – take a shower
  • vestirse – dress oneself

In fact, one of the first verbs we learn in Spanish is reflexive:

  • llamarse –  call oneself / to be called

Look how we conjugate a typical reflexive verb: lavarse

  • Me lavo
  • Te lavas
  • Se lava
  • Nos lavamos
  • Os laváis
  • Se lavan

Notice how ‘se’ is the pronoun used in the third person (which is also used for the ‘usted’ form).

Let’s look at some examples:

  • Me ducho cada noche pero mi hermano no se ducha nunca.
    I take a shower every night, but my brother never showers.
  • Alex no me cae bien. Se considera superior a los demás.
    I don’t like Alex. She considers herself superior to everyone else. 
  • Ustedes se bañan en el mar cada noche.
    You (polite) go for a swim in the sea every night.

More on reflexive verbs

It should be pointed out that some Spanish verbs are reflexive in form (they are conjugated with the reflexive pronouns) but not in meaning,  ie: They are not actions that the subject does to itself, but rather they are actions which are done to someone else. In other words, they are transitive verbs. But that’s enough grammar stuff for now. If you are interested, we have a whole section on Reflexive verbs in our free online Spanish course.

Now, let’s look at the second main function of ‘se’…

2. Se – An indirect pronoun

First, here’s the short explanation:

‘Se’ is an indirect object pronoun which corresponds to the English ‘to him/to her’, ‘to them’ and, in polite situations: ‘to you’.  However…PAY ATTENTION NOW!… it is only used if a direct object pronoun is also mentioned in the same sentence for the same verb. Confused?  Read on!

Some examples, with the English translations first for clarity:

  • I give it to him.
    Se lo doy.
  • I have sent it to them.
    Se lo he enviado.
  • I have bought it from him.
    Se lo he comprado.
  • I’m going to give it to her as a present.
    Se lo voy a regalar.

The long explanation:

I know its a pain in the arse, but a little bit of grammar is necessary here. Pronouns are the little words like ‘me’, ‘you’, ‘he’,’it’ that we use to indicate which person or thing we are talking about.  There are several types of pronouns, but in this class we need to pay attention to just two: direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns.

Direct object pronouns

As we explain in a separate class, direct object pronouns are used to indicate the identity of the person or thing that directly receives the action of a verb. For example:

  • Me gustaba la casa y la compré.
  • I liked the house and I bought it.

The action is ‘comprar’ (to buy) and the object of the verb is a feminine singular noun (la casa), so we use the singular feminine direct object pronoun: la.

Another example:

  • Escribí el correo electrónico y luego lo envié.
    I wrote the email and then I sent it.

Let’s stop there and move on to…

Indirect object pronouns

Imagine we write an email and send it. The email is the direct object of the action. However, we’re not just sending the email to itself, right? It’s being sent to someone. This person is the indirect object of the verb.

  • Envié el correo a Jim.
    I sent the email to Jim.

With direct object pronouns instead of names the last sentence becomes:

  • Le envíe el correo.
    I sent him the email.

However…if we want to use a pronoun instead of ‘el correo’, look what happens:

  • Se lo envíe.
    I sent it to him.

The ‘Le’ becomes ‘Se’.

Finally…

And just a quick reminder…

‘Se’ is not Sé (notice the accent).

‘Se’ is not ‘Sé’ (notice the accent), which means ‘I know’:

  • Sé muchas cosas de ella.
    I know many things about her.  

More Spanish Grammar

Who wants to learn more Spanish grammar? Check out all our free grammar lessons.

 

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