Although the Spanish pronoun se is most typically associated with reflexive verbs or passive or impersonal constructions, there is a case in which the indirect object pronoun le actually converts to a se! Let's find out what it is.
While a lot can be said about the topic of direct and indirect object pronouns, we'll provide you with a very brief overview.
Direct object pronouns (me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las) replace a direct object to convey the idea of "me, "you," "it," "we," and "them." Their form depends upon whether what is being replaced is masculine or feminine and singular or plural. For example, if instead of saying "I have the apples" (Tengo las manzanas), you wanted to say simply "I have them," you'd use the feminine plural las to agree with las manzanas to say, "Yo las tengo."
Indirect object pronouns let us know "to whom" an action happens. If you wished to say, for example, "I gave the apple to him," you'd say Yo le di la manzana since le is the indirect object pronoun that corresponds to the subject pronoun él (he). The indirect object pronouns and their corresponding subject pronouns are: me (yo), te (tú), le (él, ella, usted), nos (nosotros/as), os (vosotros/as), and les (ellos/as, ustedes).
So, what if you want to both replace a direct object and indicate "to whom" something happens? You'd then use both a direct and an indirect object pronoun, starting with the latter. Let's see a couple of examples from our Yabla Spanish library:
Y tengo acá las revistas. Si quieres te las enseño después. Y...
And I have the magazines here. If you want I'll show them to you later. And...
Captions 77-78, Gonzalo el Pintor Vida - Part 2
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Here, Gonzalo uses las to replace the feminine plural noun las revistas (the magazines) and te to indicate that he will show them "to you." Let's see one more example.
Y yo voy a la huerta a buscar los tomatitos ya que nadie me los trae.
And I'm going to go to the garden to look for the tomatoes since no one's bringing them to me.
Caption 32, Muñeca Brava 41 La Fiesta - Part 5
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In this case, the speaker uses the masculine plural los to replace the masculine plural los tomatitos (the tomatoes), and the indirect object pronoun me (to me) to reflect that "no one's bringing them to me."
It seems pretty simple, right? The "problem" arises when the required indirect object pronoun is le or les. For example, if you wish to say, "I'm giving it to them," referring to el lapiz (the pencil), would you say: "Yo les lo doy"? The rules of the Spanish language state that whenever the indirect object pronoun in question is le or les, those words change to se to avoid the awkwardness of having two words that begin with "l" in a row. The correct manner of saying this would thus be Yo se lo doy. Let's look at a few more examples from our Yabla Spanish library.
Voy a escribirle una carta y se la mando con el Señor Viento.
I'm going to write her a letter and I'll send it to her with Mister Wind.
Captions 56-58, Guillermina y Candelario El Mar enamorado
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Él... él se los dio a mi marido
He... he gave them to my husband,
Caption 76, Málaga Lourdes y la talabartería en Mijas Pueblo
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La quiero ver... con moñito y todo se lo regalo. -Bueno...
I want to see you... with a bow and everything, I'll give him to you. -Well...
Caption 14, Muñeca Brava 18 - La Apuesta - Part 7
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Remember that, as with all direct and indirect object pronouns, se lo, etc. are typically placed directly before the verb. However, in the case of infinitive verbs, they are attached to the end of the infinitive to form a new word (with the appropriate placement of a written tilde according to the Spanish accent rules). Let's see a couple of examples:
Señor, esa información no puedo dársela yo.
Sir, I can't give you that information.
Caption 60, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 1 - Part 8
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El problema es que no era capaz de decírselo.
The problem is that I wasn't capable of telling it to him.
Caption 44, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 13 - Part 5
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We hope that this lesson has shed a bit of light on those cases in which the indirect object pronouns le and les change to se. Don't forget to write us with your questions and suggestions.
Many Yabla users have been wondering about the difference between 'vivir en' and 'vivir a' when you are talking about a particular place. In this lesson, we will explain how to properly use the verb vivir (to live) with either of these two prepositions. Let's start this lesson with a little quiz. Put the missing preposition(s) in the following sentence:
Porque si te cansas de vivir ___ Cádiz, te puedes ir a vivir ___ Málaga.
Because if you get tired of living in Cadiz, you can go to live in Malaga.
Would you use the preposition a or the preposition en? Or both? Let's find out the answer.
We use 'vivir en' when we want to indicate a place. Let's see some examples:
Hice mis amigos, tengo mi novia
I made friends, I have my girlfriend,
y me encanta vivir en Miami.
and I love to live in Miami.
Captions 35-36, Fiesta en Miami - Antonio
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Siempre he tenido mi idea de vivir en Alemania.
I have always wanted to live in Germany.
Caption 82, Gonzalo el Pintor - Vida
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We use 'vivir a' when we want to indicate that someone is moving towards a place: a destination. Because of that, 'vivir a' is preceded by verbs that indicate movement such as ir (to go) or venir (to come). In fact, the preposition 'a' before the destination is required by the verb that indicates movement and not by the verb vivir (to live). Let's take a look:
Me voy a ir a vivir a Barcelona.
I'm going to go live in Barcelona.
Caption 23, Arume - Málaga, España
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¿Viene a vivir a Buenos Aires?
She's coming to live in Buenos Aires?
Caption 38, Yago - 8 Descubrimiento
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Now that we understand the difference, it is time to solve our quiz:
Porque si te cansas de vivir en Cádiz,
Because if you get tired of living in Cadiz,
te puedes ir a vivir a Málaga.
you can go to live in Malaga.
Captions 10-11, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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That's it for now. We hope you like this lesson and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.
Summer is a good time to take some time off... or learn how to properly use the Spanish word for vacation: vacaciones. Let’s do just that.
For starters, even though the Dictionary of the Spanish Language of the Royal Spanish Academy or DRAE includes the singular vacación, the plural vacaciones (vacation) is the only form people use:
Sí, se ha ido hasta de vacaciones a Italia con el zoquito.
Yes, she has even gone on vacation to Italy with the zoquito.
Caption 74, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Spanish also has the verb vacacionar (to vacation), but it's much more common to use expressions that involve the use of another verb combined with the word vacaciones, for example: ir de vacaciones (to go on vacation). This expression requires the use of a reflexive pronoun (se, in this case) and the preposition de (on). You must also be careful to conjugate the verb ir (to go) properly. In the example above, for example, you see the perfect tense ha ido de vacaciones (has gone on vacation). But you can also use other tenses. The following example includes the reflexive pronoun me, the preposition de, and the first-person singular form of the verb ir (to go) in present tense, which is voy (I go):
...me voy de vacaciones, compro regalos, tengo la cena.
...I go on vacation, I buy gifts, I have dinner.
Caption 63, Cuentas claras - Sobreviviendo enero
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But you can use other verbs too. You can use the verb estar (to be), for example, which doesn't need the use of reflexive pronouns:
Como todos sabemos, estamos de vacaciones.
As we all know, we're on vacation.
Caption 6, El bulevar - de Adícora
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Or the verb tomar (to take), which doesn't need the preposition de and can be used with or without a reflexive pronoun:
Tomó vacaciones de un mes.
She took a one-month vacation.
Regresó otra vez a Alemania.
Then she went back to Germany again.
Captions 24-25, Gonzalo el Pintor - Vida
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Yes, it's also correct to say: se tomó vacaciones de un mes (she took a one-month vacation).
Also very common is the use of the verb andar (literally "to walk"):
Genaro anda de vacaciones.
Genaro is on vacation.
Or venir (to come), which needs the preposition de and could take a reflexive pronoun:
Qué bien que te has venido aquí de vacaciones.
How nice that you have come here on vacation.
Caption 2, Clara y Cristina - Hablan de actividades
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or not:
Qué bien que has venido aquí de vacaciones.
How nice that you have come here on vacation.
Can you think of more verbs that can be combined with the word vacaciones? We can. One example is the verb salir (to go out): salimos de vacaciones (we go out on vacation, we leave on vacation). Try to find some more examples in our catalog!
The Spanish subjunctive is used in adverb clauses when the action described in the clause is anticipated or hypothetical (a reservation, a condition not yet met, a mere intention). Adverb clauses are sentences that function as adverbs in compound sentences:
Organizaremos una fiesta / cuando mi esposo regrese de su viaje.
We will organize a party / when my husband comes back from his trip.
In the previous example, the main clause is organizaremos una fiesta and its verb (organizaremos) is in the indicative mood, future tense. However, the adverb clause that modifies that verb (in this case, establishing a condition of time for the action to happen) must use regrese, the subjunctive form of the verb regresar (to come back). Adverb clauses like this one are usually introduced by conjunctions, which you can use to identify the type of clause that it's being used. The previous sentence, for example, uses the conjunction cuando (when) to introduce the adverb clause. The word cuando is a conjunction of time, just like después (after). These conjunctions are used with the subjunctive to express anticipated circumstances, that is, a future occurrence not yet met. Let's study some examples from our catalog of authentic videos.
An example with the conjunction cuando (when):
pues no quiere deberle nada a nadie cuando llegue a la presidencia.
because he doesn't want to owe anything to anyone when he reaches the presidency.
Caption 23, Andrés Manuel López Obrador - En campaña
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An example with the conjunction hasta (until), which must be combined with the pronoun que (that):
Yo mantendré esa tradición hasta que me muera.
I will keep this tradition until the day I die.
Caption 66, Estado Falcón - Locos de la Vela
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Here's an example with the conjunction siempre (always), which combined with the pronoun que (that) means "whenever" or "as long as." Pay attention, the word order has been changed, so the main clause appears at the end.
Pero siempre que sea posible,
But whenever it is possible,
recurriremos a un fotógrafo profesional.
we'll turn to a professional photographer.
Caption 27, Raquel y Marisa - Español Para Negocios - Introducción
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Now, that doesn't mean that you should always use subjunctive after conjunctions of time. You must use it only when you are talking about actions anticipated to occur in the future. If, for example, the conjunction is used to introduce an adverb clause that refers to actions in the past or in progress, known facts or habits, you must use the indicative. Let's see examples:
An example where you don't use subjunctive after the conjunction cuando (when):
Lo primero que hago cuando voy de compras
The first thing that I do when I go shopping
es mirar los escaparates.*
is to look at the display windows.
Captions 3-4, Raquel - Haciendo compras
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*Another common word order could be: Lo primero que hago es mirar los escaparates cuando voy de compras.
Now, an example where you don't use subjunctive after hasta que (until):
Hay policías desde que salgo de mi casa hasta que entro al Tec.
There are police from when I leave my house until I enter the Tech.
Caption 67, Alumnos extranjeros del - Tec de Monterrey
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And here's and example with the conjunction siempre (always) combined with the pronoun que (that) that doesn't use subjunctive either.
Entonces, yo siempre que estaba en Lima no los encontraba.*
So, every time I was in Lima, I didn't meet up with them.
Caption 9, Gonzalo el Pintor - Vida
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*Again, the main clause appears at the end of the sentence here, but you can easily change the word order: Entonces, yo no los encontraba siempre que estaba en Lima.
Summarizing: the subjunctive is used after conjunctions of time (such as cuando, hasta que, siempre que, etc.) only when you want to express anticipated circumstances, that is, a future occurrence not yet met (anyway, strictly speaking future is always hypothetical, right?). For your reference, other conjunctions of time that use subjunctive are después de que (after), mientras que (while, as long as), tan pronto que (as soon as), antes de que (before), and en cuanto (as soon as). So remember to always use subjunctive after them if you want to talk about anticipated circumstances. There is only one exception that applies to después de que (after), antes de que (before), and hasta que (until): you can get away with using a verb in infinitive (ending in -ar, -er, -ir) instead of subjunctive if you get rid of the pronoun que (that). Check the following examples:
Voy a bañarme después de hacer ejercicio.
I'm going to shower after I exercise.
Escribiré un libro antes de morir.
I will write a book before I die.
No me voy hasta hablar contigo.
I'm not leaving until I speak with you.
Of course, you can also use the subjunctive by adding the pronoun que. Here are the equivalent sentences for the examples above:
Voy a bañarme después de que haga ejercicio.
I'm going to shower after I exercise.
Escribiré un libro antes de que me muera.
I will write a book before I die.
No me voy hasta que hable contigo.
I'm not leaving until I speak with you.
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