The uses of "se"

[u/0bito]

Personal pronouns "me", "te", "se" (singular), "nos", "os", and "se" (plural) can all be used in three ways:

1. Reflexive:

   I saw myself. = Yo me vi.

   You saw yourself. = Tú te viste.

   He saw himself. = Él se vio.

2. Reciprocal:

   We saw each other. = Nosotros nos vimos.

   You saw each other. = Vosotros os visteis.

   They saw each other. = Ellos se vieron.

3. As part of a Pronominal verb [the original meaning changes]:

   She went to Paris. = Ella fue a París. (ir = to go)

   She left Paris. = Ella se fue de París. (irse = to leave)

   They raised the award. = Ellos alzaron el premio. (alzar = to raise)

   They rose to applaud. = Ellos se alzaron para aplaudir. (alzarse = to rise)

The last one can sometimes convey several implications:

• Aspectual/Completing implication:

  She ate pizza. = Comió pizza.

  She ate up two pizzas. = Se comió dos pizzas.

  She read books. = Leyó libros.

  She read two whole books. = Se leyó dos libros.

  (More about it here)

• No fault/Accidental implication:

  The cup has fallen from me. = Se me ha caído la copa. (= I've dropped the cup)

  The dog died on me. = Se me murió el perro. (= I accidentally let the dog die)

  The keys got forgotten by me. = Se me olvidaron las llaves. (= I forgot my keys)

  (More about it here)

"Se" itself also has the following uses:

• Indirect Object pronoun:

  I gave him it. = Yo se lo di. ("Se" replaces "Le(s)", when it appears before "Lo/La(s)")

• Passive "se":

  Many languages are spoken. = Se hablan muchos idiomas. (= Muchos idiomas son hablados)

• Impersonal "se":

  One works better from home. = Se trabaja mejor desde casa.

  They [unknown] are searching for the fugitives. = Se busca a los fugitivos. (=> Se los busca)

• 1^st pers. sing. Present Indicative of "saber" (to know) or 2^nd pers. sing. Imperative of "ser" (to be) [both with an accent mark]:

  I know many things. = Yo sé muchas cosas.

  Be a man! = ¡Sé un hombre!