With the pronoun se, the verb expresses an event with no agent, an unintended event or a completed one: se abrió, se me cayó, se comió. The verb agrees with the thing that changes, not with the person affected: Se rompieron los vasos. Se me cayeron los platos.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
CheatsheetB2–C2
| Point | Rule | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle voice | se + verb: the event happens to the subject, with no agent | Se abrió la ventana. | The window opened. | B2 |
| Unintended event | the person affected takes the dative: me / te / le / nos / les | Se nos acabó el tiempo. | We ran out of time. | B2 |
| Agreement | the verb agrees with the thing, not with the person | Se me perdieron las llaves. | I lost my keys. | B2 |
| ir / irse | irse marks leaving a place; ir, the destination | Me voy de aquí. / Voy a casa de Ana. | I'm leaving here. / I'm going to Ana's house. | B2 |
| Pronominal verbs | the verb takes se and a fixed preposition | Me acuerdo de tu casa. | I remember your house. | C1 |
| Aspectual se | the delimited object is used up entirely | Felipe se comió un pollo él solo. | Felipe ate a whole chicken all by himself. | C1 |
| Possession | the dative names the owner; the body part takes an article | Se le cerraban los ojos. | His eyes were closing. | C1 |
| Possessive dative | an article or, for emphasis, a possessive; with body parts, only an article | Se hace la cama. ≠ Se hace su cama. | He makes the bed. ≠ He makes his bed. | C2 |
| Trap | se comes first among the unstressed pronouns | Se me perdió el pasaporte. | I lost my passport. | B2 |
| Trap | the preposition stays before que | Me di cuenta de que llegaba tarde. | I realised I was late. | C1 |
OverviewB2
- se comes before the other unstressed pronouns: Se te cayó la cartera. / Se les perdió el gato.You dropped your wallet. / They lost their cat.
- The reflexive and reciprocal uses of se: see Reflexive Verbs.
- The reflexive passive and the impersonal se: see Reported Speech and Passive se.
- The dative and pairs such as se lo: see Indirect Object Pronouns and Two Pronouns Together: se lo.
Middle-voice seB2
| Verbs | Meaning | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| abrirse / cerrarse / apagarse | an object changes state with nobody doing it | Se abrió la ventana. / Se apagó la luz. | The window opened. / The light went out. | B2 |
| romperse / rajarse / estropearse | an object gets damaged | Se rompió el vaso. / Se estropeó la lavadora. | The glass broke. / The washing machine broke down. | B2 |
| fundirse / derretirse / congelarse | matter changes with heat or cold | Se fundió el hielo. / Se congeló el lago. | The ice melted. / The lake froze. | B2 |
| abrir / romper / fundir | without se, the verb is transitive and someone causes the event | Marta abrió la ventana. | Marta opened the window. | B2 |
- The subject comes before or after the verb, and the verb agrees with it: La ventana se abrió. / Se abrieron las ventanas.The window opened. / The windows opened.
- The adjective solo stresses that nobody intervenes: La puerta se cerró sola.The door closed by itself.
- A named agent requires the passive with ser, not the middle voice: La ventana fue abierta por Marta.The window was opened by Marta.
Se me cayó: reduced responsibilityB2
| Person | Form | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | se me + verb | Se me perdió el pasaporte. | B2 |
| tú | se te + verb | Se te olvidó la contraseña. | B2 |
| él / ella / usted | se le + verb | Se le descargó la batería. | B2 |
| nosotros / nosotras | se nos + verb | Se nos acabó el tiempo. | B2 |
| vosotros / vosotrasSpain | se os + verb | Se os quemó la cena. | B2 |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | se les + verb | Se les rompió el televisor. | B2 |
| Verbs | Meaning | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| perderse / olvidarse / quedarse | something gets lost or left behind by accident | Se me quedó el paraguas en casa. | I left my umbrella at home. | B2 |
| caerse / quemarse / mojarse | an accident damages something belonging to the person | Se me cayeron los platos. / Se me quemó el arroz. | I dropped the plates. / I burned the rice. | B2 |
| acabarse / terminarse / agotarse | something runs out sooner than expected | Se nos acabó la leche. | We ran out of milk. | B2 |
| ocurrirse | an idea comes without being looked for | Se me ocurrió una solución. | A solution occurred to me. | B2 |
- The person stops being the agent: the event is presented as unintended: Rompí el vaso. ≠ Se me rompió el vaso.I broke the glass. ≠ The glass broke on me.
- The verb agrees with the thing, not with the person: Se me perdió la llave. / Se me perdieron las llaves.I lost my key. / I lost my keys.
- a + person names or highlights the person it happens to: A mí se me olvidó la cita. / A Luis se le olvidó la cita.The appointment slipped my mind. / The appointment slipped Luis's mind.
Ir and irseB2
| Verb | Phase of the movement | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ir | the journey and the destination, with a / hacia | Voy a casa de Ana. | I'm going to Ana's house. | B2 |
| irse | leaving the place of origin, with de / desde | Me voy de aquí. / Se fue de la fiesta temprano. | I'm leaving here. / He left the party early. | B2 |
| venir | arriving at the place of the speaker or listener | ¿Vienes a mi fiesta? | Are you coming to my party? | B2 |
| venirse | moving to the place of the speaker, leaving the place of origin | Mi hermana se vino a vivir conmigo. / Vente conmigo al cine. | My sister came to live with me. / Come to the cinema with me. | B2 |
| marcharse | leaving a place, like irse, in a slightly more formal register | Se marchó sin despedirse. | He left without saying goodbye. | B2 |
- With a destination, ir is neutral and irse stresses the departure: Voy a casa. ≠ Me voy a casa.I'm going home. ≠ I'm heading off home.
Pronominal verbsC1
| Verb | Preposition | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| acordarse | de | Me acuerdo de tu casa. / Acuérdate de llamar a tu madre. | I remember your house. / Remember to call your mother. | C1 |
| alegrarse | de | Me alegro de verte. / Nos alegramos de la noticia. | I'm glad to see you. / We're glad about the news. | C1 |
| arrepentirse | de | Se arrepintió de su decisión. / Me arrepiento de mentir. | He regretted his decision. / I regret lying. | C1 |
| quejarse | de | Los vecinos se quejan de la música. | The neighbours are complaining about the music. | C1 |
| atreverse | a | Nadie se atreve a hablar. | Nobody dares to speak. | C1 |
| negarse | a | Se negó a pagar. | He refused to pay. | C1 |
| darse cuenta | de | Me di cuenta de mi error. | I realised my mistake. | C1 |
| enterarse | de | Me enteré de la noticia por la radio. | I found out the news on the radio. | C1 |
- Before a subordinate clause, the preposition stays in front of que: Me alegro de que vengas. / Se dio cuenta de que llegaba tarde.I'm glad that you're coming. / He realised he was late.
- Some pronominal verbs have an equivalent transitive verb, with no pronoun or preposition: Me acuerdo de tu voz. = Recuerdo tu voz.I remember your voice.
Aspectual se: the dative of interestC1
| Verb | Without se | With se | |
|---|---|---|---|
| comer / comerse | Felipe comió pollo.Felipe ate chicken. | Felipe se comió un pollo.Felipe ate a whole chicken. | C1 |
| beber / beberse | Ana bebió agua.Ana drank water. | Ana se bebió toda el agua.Ana drank all the water. | C1 |
| tomar / tomarse | Luis tomó café.Luis had coffee. | Luis se tomó un café.Luis had a coffee. | C1 |
| fumar / fumarse | Mi tío fumó cigarrillos.My uncle smoked cigarettes. | Mi tío se fumó un cigarrillo.My uncle smoked a cigarette. | C1 |
| leer / leerse | Marta leyó novelas.Marta read novels. | Marta se leyó la novela en un día.Marta read the novel in a day. | C1 |
| aprender / aprenderse | Sara aprendió inglés.Sara learned English. | Sara se aprendió el poema de memoria.Sara learned the poem by heart. | C1 |
- The pronoun agrees with the subject and stresses that the object is used up entirely: Felipe se comió un pollo él solo. / Me bebí toda la botella.Felipe ate a whole chicken all by himself. / I drank the whole bottle.
- The object is delimited: an article, a possessive, a demonstrative or a numeral: Se bebió el agua. / Se bebió tu agua. / Se bebió tres vasos.He drank the water. / He drank your water. / He drank three glasses.
- Without the pronoun, the sentence is correct and does not stress that everything was consumed: Felipe comió un pollo. ≠ Felipe se comió un pollo.Felipe ate a chicken. ≠ Felipe ate a whole chicken.
Middle voice with possessionC1
| Subject | Meaning | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a part of the body | the body acts without the person wanting it | Se me abre la boca. / Se le cerraban los ojos. | My mouth falls open. / His eyes were closing. | C1 |
| a part of the body and an emotion | the emotion shows in the body | Se le llenaron los ojos de lágrimas. / Se me erizó la piel. | His eyes filled with tears. / I got goosebumps. | C1 |
| a relative | a change in the family affects the person | Se le murió el abuelo. / Se me casó la hermana. | His grandfather died. / My sister got married. | C1 |
| a possession | something belonging to the person changes state | Se me apagó el teléfono en plena llamada. | My phone died in the middle of a call. | C1 |
- The dative names the owner; the body part takes an article, not a possessive: Se me hinchó el tobillo.My ankle swelled up.
Possessive dative with seC2
| Complement | With an article | With a possessive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a task of one's own | Se hace la cama.He makes the bed. | Se hace su cama.He makes his bed. | C2 |
| a drink of one's own | Se tomó el café sin prisa.He drank the coffee without hurrying. | Se tomó su café sin prisa.He drank his coffee without hurrying. | C2 |
| a meal of one's own, with emphasis | Cada uno se prepara la cena.Everyone prepares dinner. | Cada uno se prepara su propia cena.Everyone prepares their own dinner. | C2 |
| a part of the body or a piece of clothing: no possessive | Se lavó las manos.He washed his hands. | — | C2 |
- When the owner is not the subject, the possessive is required: Se bebió mi café.He drank my coffee.
Typical errorsB2–C2
| Wrong | Right | Rule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Me se cayó el vaso. | Se me cayó el vaso. | se goes before me | B2 |
| Se me cayó los platos. | Se me cayeron los platos. | the verb agrees with the thing, not with the person | B2 |
| Se perdí la bufanda. | Se me perdió la bufanda. | the affected person goes in the dative, not in the verb | B2 |
| Se abrió la ventana por Marta. | La ventana fue abierta por Marta. | a named agent requires the passive with ser | B2 |
| Voy de aquí. | Me voy de aquí. | irse marks leaving the place of origin | B2 |
| Me di cuenta que llegaba tarde. | Me di cuenta de que llegaba tarde. | darse cuenta keeps de before que | C1 |
| Nadie se atreve hablar. | Nadie se atreve a hablar. | atreverse takes a before an infinitive | C1 |
| Felipe se comió pollo él solo. | Felipe se comió un pollo él solo. | the object of an aspectual se is delimited | C1 |
| Se me abre mi boca. | Se me abre la boca. | the body part takes an article; the dative names the owner | C1 |
| Se cortó sus uñas. | Se cortó las uñas. | with body parts and clothes, the dative and the article are enough | C2 |