Impersonal Se, Passive Se, Accidental Se
Overview
Impersonal Se
- se = uno
- verb always in 3rd person singular
- cannot be used with reflexive pronoun
Passive Se
- conveys passive voice
- verb agrees with subject
- if subject has determinant, it can go before or after verb
- if subject has no determinant, it can only go after verb
Accidental Se
- can diminish intentionality, often does not
- often translates to a new verb in English
Tutorial: The Impersonal Se and the Passive Se
Tutorial: The Accidental Se
Verbs commonly used with the accidental se
| BY ITSELF | WITH ACCIDENTAL SE | |
| romper | to break Rompí el vaso. I broke the glass. |
to break Se me rompió el vaso. I broke the glass. |
| quemar | to burn Quemaste el pan. You burned the bread. |
to burn Se te quemó el pan. You burned the bread. |
| perder | to lose David perdió sus zapatos. David lost his shoes. |
to lose A David se le perdieron los zapatos. David lost his shoes |
| caer | to fall Las llaves caen. The keys fall. |
to drop Las llaves se me caen. I drop the keys. |
| olvidar | to forget Olvidamos el examen. We forgot the test. |
to forget El examen se nos olvidó. We forgot the test. |
| quedar | to remain Quedan dos porciones. Two portions are left. |
to leave (unintentionally) Se me quedó el libro en casa. I left the book at home. |
| acabar | to finish Acabaste el examen. You finished the exam. |
to run out of Se me acabó el tiempo. I ran out of time. |