11.2: Se to indicate accidental occurrences Flashcards
Earlier in the chapter, you learned to use the pronouns se in order to indicate that the subject is either unknown or unimportant. To indicate unintentional or accidental occurrences, you will use a similar construction that also includes the indirect object pronoun.
se + indirect object pronoun + verb
se me rompió el plato.
I broke the plate (accidentally)
A Diego se le perdieron las llaves.
Diego lost his keys (unintentionally)
Notice that the verb agrees with the subject (el plato and las llaves) and that the person affected by the event becomes the indirect object (me and A Diego…le)
The following are common verbs used with this construction.
acabar (to finish)
Se me acabó la gasolina. I ran out of gas.
apagar (to turn off)
Se les apagó la computadora. They shut off the computer.
caer (to fall)
Se les cayeron los libros They dropped their books
descomponer (to break down)
Se me descompuso el coche. My car broke down
olvidar (to forget)
A ella se le olvidó el lápiz. She forgot her pencil
perder (to lose (an object))
Se nos perdió la tarea. We lost our homework.
quedar (to remain (behind))
Se me quedó el dinero en casa. I left the money at home.
romper (to break)
¿Se te rompió el vaso? Did you break the glass?
