Uses of the Spanish word "se"

This post is about the uses of the word "se" in Spanish.

As a reflexive pronoun of the third person singular and plural
In English, it's enough to say He takes a bath. However, in Spanish you say él se baña. Se acts as an reflexive pronoun. If you say to someone, él baña, he might ask back to you ¿a quién baña? as él baña is incomplete and needs an object.

Substitute for the indirect object "le" or "les" if a direct object (lo, la, los, las) is present in the sentence
Instead of saying le lo voy a dar, we say se lo voy a dar.

It's used when a part of a human body or clothing is involved in the sentence
Instead of using the possessive pronoun su, se is used and the part of the body or the clothing is accompanied by the definite article el or la.

He washes his hands
(Él) se lava las manos (instead of Él lava sus manos

She puts the necklace on
(Ella) se pone el collar (instead of Ella pone su collar)

He washes them (hands)
(Él) se las lava

She puts it on (necklace)
(Ella) se lo pone

Part of a pronominal verbs
Pronominal verbs are verbs that are accompanied by a reflexive pronoun. These verbs have to be memorized. Most of these are verbs of emotion.

Se fue - He went away
Se durmieron - They fell asleep
No te quejes - Don't complain
Se entristece - He feels sad
Se sorprendió - He got surprised

Reciprocal use
Se means each other

They love each other - ellos se quieren

Passive use
A sentence is in passive voice when the doer of the verb is not known. It's more or less has the same meaning of the French on.

En España se vive mejor que en México - The quality of life in Spain is better than in Mexico. (literally means, "One lives better in Spain than in Mexico")
Se fabrican un millón de móviles cada año - A million mobile phones are manufactured every year
Las manos se lavan antes de comer - One should wash his hands before eating
No se casa si no se tiene dinero - One should not marry if he has no money
Se prohibe fumar - No smoking
Se cree que la tierra es plana - It is believed that the earth is flat

Used with verbs such as olvidar to express that something was done or occurred unintentionally

Se me olvidó decirte que... - I forgot to tell you that... (literally means, "Telling you was forgotten to me")
Se me ocurrió una idea - I got an idea
Se nos hizo aburrido el viaje - The journey felt boring (to us)
Se me fue el dolor - It doesn't hurt anymore
Se le pasó el hambre - He's not hungry anymore
Se me quitó la mancha en el vestido - The stain on my dress got removed (by itself)
Se me ha vuelto a averiar el coche - My car has broken down again.

The form "habría" is getting out of style. Learners of Spanish should be aware of

Probably you may have heard someone say or you may have read something like, "me hubiera gustado hacer un viaje". As a Spanish learner, you learned that the word "hubiera" is in past subjunctive and therefore it has to follow a "que", a "si" or "ojalá". But in this sentence it doesn't. Why is that so?

It's because, in the aformentioned sentence, "hubiera" should be "habría". "Habría" is getting out of style in contemporaneous Spanish and it's being replaced little by little by the form "hubiera" which is frowned upon by grammarians.

Let's take a look at some sentences:

Si hubieras comido, no hubieras tenido hambre.
If you had eaten, you wouldn't have gone hungry.

No hubiera aprobado el examen aunque hubiera estudiado mucho.
I wouldn''t have passed the exam even if I had studied.


Some speakers may use "hubiese".

No te hubiese reconocido.
I wouldn't have recognized you.


In some Latin American countries, "hubiera" can mean "should have" or "could have", such as in:

Me hubieras llamado por teléfono.
You should have called me by phone.

Te hubieras matado. La próxima vez, ten más cuidado.
You could have killed yourself. Be more careful next time.

Me hubieras avisado donde andabas.

You should have told me where you were.

What's the difference between "podrías haberlo hecho" and "podías haberlo hecho"?

Easy. "Podrías haberlo hecho" is used when there is a condition expressed. Example:

Podría haber terminado si hubiera tenido más tiempo.
I could have finished if I had had more time.

Podrías haberte caído si no hubieras tenido cuidado.
You could have fallen if you hadn't been careful.


If no condition is expressed, then "podías haberlo hecho" or "pudiste haberlo hecho" are preferred.

“Podíamos haber ido al cine para divertirnos un poco” (pero no lo hicimos)
“Podían haber llamado a la policía” (habría sido una buena idea, pero no lo hicieron)
“Podía haber hecho una tortilla para cenar” (pero no se me ocurrió, la verdad)
“Podía haberte pedido consejo”(pero no lo hice porque no quería que te preocuparas por mis problemas)
“¡Podías haberte matado!” (Lo que hiciste era peligroso, pero, gracias a Dios, no te ha pasado nada, no te has matado)
“Podía haberme levantado más temprano, pero tenía un sueño…..” (No me levanté, me quedé en la cama)


Now let's add a condition to the sentences above and let's see what happens.

“Podríamos haber ido al cine” (si no se nos hubiera hecho tan tarde)
“Podrían haber llamado a la policía” (si hubieran tenido un teléfono)
“Podría haber hecho una tortilla para cenar” (si hubiera tenido patatas)
“Podría haberte pedido consejo”(si hubieras estado a mi lado)
“Podrías haberte matado” (si hubieras subido a las rocas).
“Podría haberme levantado más temprano” (si no me hubiera acostado tan tarde)

The condition can be made explicit or not, but it's there.

How to express "should have done something" in Spanish?

There are various ways we can express things we wish should have occured in the past.

The simplest way to express this is by using the preterite form of the verb deber.  Let's take a look at some examples:

Debí hacerlo.
I should have done it.

Debiste llamar a la policía.
You should have called the police.

If you are new to learning Spanish, I recommend you to stick to this form as it's easy to remember and more simple.

However, there are more ways on how to express "should have done something" in Spanish. These are the possible forms:

Preterite form of the verb deber + haber: Debiste haberlo hecho.
Imperfect form of the verb deber + haber: Debías haberlo hecho.
Conditional form of the verb deber + haber: Deberías haberlo hecho.
Past subjunctive of the verb deber + haber: Debieras haberlo hecho.
Imperfect form of the verb tener + haber: Tenías que haberlo hecho.
Conditional form of the verb tener + haber: Tendrías que haberlo hecho.


Most of the time, the preference of the speaker is what makes the difference among these forms. I had a Spanish friend that once told me that the "debiste hacerlo" and "debiste haberlo hecho" form sound more of from mexican telenovelas. In Spain, the form "tenía que haberlo hecho" is much used as far as I can notice on how Spaniards speak. While the conditional forms and the one with past subjunctive sound formal and polite to native speakers.

To some speakers, the form debí haberlo hecho has more "recency" than debí hacerlo, as in:

Mi hermana murió hace años. Debí pasar más tiempo con ella cuando vivía.

Estaba distraído cuando mi hermana me hablaba. Hay algo que me comentó que no entendí del todo. La debí haber escuchado.


In some Latin American countries, especially in Mexico, people would use "hubiera" + the past participle to express "should have done something".

Me hubieras llamado por teléfono.
You should have called me by phone.

Aunque + SUBJUNCTIVE or INDICATIVE mood?

The answer depends whether the information is shared or is known by the person speaking and the person the speaker is speaking to. Let's take a look at this dialogue:


Hijo: Mamá, el profesor dice que el examen de mañana va a ser fácil.
Mamá: Vale. Pero aunque vaya a ser fácil, tienes que estudiar de todos modos.

In the dialogue above the son informs his mother that tomorrow's exam is going to be easy. Upon saying that, the fact that the exam is going to be easy is known both by the son and the mother. To make things simplier, the subjunctive mood is used if the information is known by the speaker and the person the speaker is talking to.


Let's take a look at more examples:

Carlo: Según el pronóstico meteorológico, va a llover mañana.
Marco: Aunuqe llueva mañana, iremos a la playa.

Susan: El novio de Cristina es muy rico.
Ana: Aunuqe sea muy rico, Cristina quiere trabajar de todas formas.


On the other hand, if the information is only known by the person speaking, the indicative is used. Let's take a look at this example:

Carlo: Ya he visto la casa. Es muy bonita. Aunque le faltan decoraciones.
Marco: Pero aunque le falten decoraciones mi hermano quiere comprarla.

In the first sentence, "faltar" is in indicative mood because Marco didn't know that the house lacks decorations., that is to say, Carlo is informing Marco about it. Remember that the indicative mood is used when stating an information. In the second sentence, however, "faltar" is in subjunctive because the fact that the house lacks decorations has become known by the two.

I hope everything now is clear. If you still have any question about this, post it in the comment section.

Spanish Verbal Periphrasis

A verbal periphrasis is a verbal construction made of two verb forms, a conjugated form and an impersonal form (an infinitive, a present participle, or a past participle). Verbal periphrasis is used in the informal future, the present progressive, and the perfect tenses.

For this post, I have compiled some of the most important Spanish verbal periphrasis that students should begin to learn.

Acabar DE (to have just done something; to just can't VERB something) – Acaba de darse cuenta de mi error. (I have just noticed my error); Acababa de entrar cuando sonó el teléfono. (He had just entered when the telephone rang); ¿Puedes echarme una mano cuando acabes de limpiar? (Can you give me a hand when you're done cleaning?); No acabo de entender por qué lo hizo. (I just can't understand why he did it); No me acaba de parecer bien que revises el correo de tu novio. (I just don't think it's right that you check your boyfriend's email)

Acabar GER (to end up doing something) - Me sigue pareciendo mal que acabara pagando la novia. (I still find it bad that the girlfriend ended up paying)

Andar GER (to get around doing something) – Anduvimos buscando la llave. (We were searching around for the keys)

Comenzar A (to start doing something) – La gente comenzó a preocuparse por el medio ambiente. (The people started to care about the environment)

Continuar GER (to continue doing something) - En cualquier caso continúa siendo optimista. (In any case he still is optimist); No creía que continuara lloviendo. (I didn't think it would continue raining)

Deber DE (must – expressing possibility) – Debe de ser muy caro estudiar en los Estados Unidos. (It must be very expensive to study in the US); Deben de haberse ido por aquí. (They must have gone this way); Deben de haberse dado cuenta de que tenemos problemas. (They must have noticed we have problems); Deben de haberse equivocado. (They must have been wrong)

Deber INF (must – expressing obligation) - No debes preocuparte. (You must not worry); Debería cambiarse cada mes. (It should be changed monthly);  No deberías haberla dejado sola. (You shouldn't have left her alone); Debíamos haber salido ayer (We should have left yesterday)

Dejar DE (to stop doing something) - Cuando deje de llover nos iremos. (When it stops raining we will go)

Dejar QUE (let someone/ something do something) - Deja que acabe de llover. (let the rain stop); Deja que me toque la lotería y verás. (Wait until I won the lottery and you'll see)

Estar GER (to be doing something) – Los niños están estudiando. (The children are studying)

Haber DE (must – expressing possibility and obligation) – Hemos de pagar la cuenta. (We have to pay the bill); Habían de ser las nueve cuando llegaron. (It must be 9 o'clock when they arirved)

Ir A (be going to do something) – Vamos a estudiar. (We are going to study)

Ir GER (be gradually doing something) - Id pensando en el tema que queréis tratar. (You can now start thinking about the topic you want to talk about); Hemos ido consiguiendo lo que queríamos. (We've been getting what we wanted); Voy comprendiendo que no te ha gustado. (I'm underdstanding that you didn't like it)

Llegar A (to come to do something, to achieve) - Llegó a conocer a varios directores de cine. (He got to meet some cinema directors); No llego a comprenderlo. (I just can't understand it); Me ha llegado a parecer bien que sólo le des 20 pesos a tu hijo, pues si le das más, se compra cualquier chuchería en la escuela. (I, now, think it's right that you only give 20 pesos to your son, if you give more, he'll buy junkfoods in school); Julia llegó a ser presidenta. (Julia became president); Temí no llegar a ver el año nuevo. (I'm afraid I can't get to new year)

No dejar DE (to keep on doing something; to be always ADJECTIVE; to can't help) - No deja de preguntarme por ti. (He keeps asking me about you); Eso no deja de tener gracia. (I always find that funny); No deja de ser raro que no haya venido. (It's odd you didn't come); No por eso deja de ser una tontería lo que has dicho. (That does not stop what you said from being silly); No puedo dejar de asombrarme. (I can't help be amazed); No dejes de visitarlos. (make sure you visit them); No me deja de parecer mal que les sigas pidiendo dinero a tus padres. (I have always thought it bad that you keep asking money to your parents); NOTE: When this periphrasis is used in a negative imperative sentence, its meaning changes to "to make sure to do something" as in "no dejes de visitarlos" which means "make sure to visit them".

Parar DE (to stop doing something) – No para de quejarse. (He doesn't stop complaining)

Poder INF (can, to be able to) – Puedo hacerlo yo solo. (I can do it alone); No se puede fumar (Smoking prohibited); ¿Me puede decir su nombre? (Can you tell me your name?)

Poder INF (indicates possibility) – No conozco a nadie que pueda haberlo hecho. (I don't know anyone that could have done it); Podrías haberte matado si no hubieras tenido cuidado. (You could have killed yourself if you hadn't been careful); Puede ser que tengas razón. (You could be right)

Seguir GER (to be still doing something; to keep on doing something) – Me preocupa que sigas cometiendo tantos errores. (I'm worried you keep on making a lot of erros)

Soler INF (to be doing something usuall ) – Solemos comenzar a las ocho. (We usually start at 8)

Tardar EN (to take much time in doing something) - No tarde usted en informarme. (Please tell me as soon as you know); No tardaron en darse cuenta de mi presencia. (They immediately noticed my presence)

Tener QUE (to have to do something, should) – Tengo que comprarlo. (I have to buy it); Tiene que dolerte mucho ¿no? (It hurts a lot, doesn't it?); ¡Tendrías que haberlo dicho antes! (You should have told us before)

Tener QUE (must – expresses supposition; same as deber de) - Se me tiene que haber caído por aquí. (I must have dropped it over here); Tiene que ser muy caro ir de vacaciones a Francia. (Going to France for the holidays must be very expensive)

Terminar DE (to not quite feel something – expresses uncertain feelings) - No me cae mal, pero no termina de convencerme. (I don't hate him, I'm not too sure about him); No me termina de gustar la casa que hemos visto. (I'm not sure about the house we've seen)

Venir A (to be more or less – expresses approximation) – “Perhaps” y “Maybe” vienen a significar lo mismo. (Perhaps and Maybe more or less mean the same thing)

Venir GER (to have been doing something) - Eso lo vengo diciendo desde hace tiempo. (I've been saying that since a long time ago)

Volver A (to do something again) – Por favor, no lo vuelvas a hacer. (Don't do it again, please)


If you have any question about the usage of these Spanish verbal periphrasis, please leave a comment below.