I will be honest, Spanish is a complex language.

I say this because of it Se one of the most used, but most difficult words to use.

On this occasion, I will try to clarify the uses of the Se with an easy definition and with examples so that you know all the uses that it has.

Many of the Spanish speakers do not know these rules, but you should know them if you are learning Spanish.

Do you want to know everything about “Se”?

But first..

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

lavó los pies (He washed his feet) – She washed his feet herself Se peina el cabello (He brushes his hair) – She brushes her hair.

peina el cabello (He brushes his hair) – She brushes her hair. 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

conocieron (My parents me) – My parents met each other Se quieren mucho (They love each other a lot)

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)

los dije (I told them well) Le di – Se lo di (I gave it to her)

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)

come bien – We don’t know where? (Here you eat well) Se habla español – We don’t know where? (Spanish speaking)

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

It is very common to find it in sales announcements.

Examples:

Se vende casa (For Sale House)

vende casa (For Sale House) Se vende comida ( For Sale Food)

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)

abrazan (they hug) Mi padre se arrepiente (my father regrets)

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.



Last Tip:



As I said at the beginning, it is a complicated word, but listen to a lot of Spanish. It will give you the necessary knowledge to know the different uses of Se in Spanish



To confuse with the word I know, this word with an accent means to know, but it is used only for the first person (yo)



Yo sé que no regresará (I know he won’t come back)

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