SE, Impersonal Forms, Coordination, and Subordination

Posted on Feb 17, 2025 in Linguistics and Applied Languages

SE: Values and Functions

SE Values

Without syntactic function:

  • Inseparable from the verb (pronominal verbs): Él se arrepiente de su acción (He regrets his action).
  • Modifier of the verb’s meaning: Él se acuerda de sus padres (He remembers his parents) / Acuerdan un trato (They agree on a deal).
  • Inchoative aspect morpheme: Él se marcha a casa (He leaves for home).
  • Middle voice morpheme: Juan se asusta de Ana (John is scared of Ana) / Ana se asusta (Ana gets scared).
  • Intransitivization morpheme (transitive verbs): La maleta se cerró (The suitcase closed) / El puesto se cierra (The stand closes).
  • Emphatic value: Él se come un pastel (He eats a whole pie) / Él comerá un pastel (He will eat a cake).

With syntactic function:

  • Reflexive value:
    • Direct Object (CD): Él se lava (He washes himself).
    • Indirect Object (CI): Él se lava la cara (He washes his face).
  • Reflexive causative value:
    • CD: Él se afeita en la barbería (He gets shaved at the barbershop).
    • CI: Él se construye un chalet (He is building himself a chalet).
  • Reciprocal value:
    • CD: Juan y Ana se escriben (Juan and Ana write to each other).
    • CI: Juan y Ana se escriben cartas falsas (Juan and Ana write each other fake letters).
  • SE as a variant of le/les: Preceding lo/la/los/las (CD): Se lo proporcioné (I provided it to him/her/them). El regalo, se lo di (The gift, I gave it to him/her/them).

Function

  • Impersonal morpheme: (no subject) Only with 3rd person singular.
  • Transitive verb + animate direct object: Se saluda a los embajadores (The ambassadors are greeted).
  • Intransitive verb: Aquí se está muy bien (One is very well here).
  • Passive morpheme (with subject).
    • Subject before the verb (animate or inanimate): Se extraen perfumes de las plantas (Perfumes are extracted from plants). No se eligen niños (Children are not chosen).
    • Subject after the verb (inanimate): Se alquilan apartamentos (Apartments are rented).

Impersonal Forms

  • Infinitive:
    • Comer es saludable (Eating is healthy).
    • Noun, verb, preposition in subordinate clauses: Comer moderadamente es saludable (CD, CI, Attribute…).
  • Gerund:
    • Jugando (Playing).
    • Adverb of manner: Goza.
    • Agua hirviendo (Boiling water) makes adjectives.
    • Prepositional, adjectival, and adverbial subordinate clauses: Le sorprendieron fumando uno de sus cigarros (They surprised him smoking one of his cigars).
  • Participle:
    • Adjective (noun complement, attribute, and predicate): Esta puerta está muy rayada (This door is very scratched).
    • Adjectival verb if it has verbal complements: Juan, preocupado por la tardanza, telefoneó (Juan, worried about the delay, telephoned).

Coordination and Subordination

Coordinated Clauses

  • Copulative: y, e, ni, que (and)
  • Disjunctive: o, u, o bien (or)
  • Adversative: pero, mas, sino, sino que, sin embargo, no obstante (but, however)
  • Distributive: tan pronto… como; así… como; ya… ya; bien… bien (as soon as…; just as…; now… now; either… or)
  • Explicative: es decir, o sea, esto es (that is, i.e.)

Subordinate Clauses

  • Noun Clauses (introduced by):
    • que (that)
    • si (if) (CD, Subject, C. Rég)
    • Direct interrogatives (Preguntó: “¿Quién ha visto?”) (He asked: “Who has seen?”)
    • Indirect interrogatives
  • Adjective Clauses (que, quien, el cual, cuyo, como, cuando, donde) (that, who, which, whose, how, when, where):
    • Noun: quien and como (what).
    • Specifying
    • Explanatory (with commas)
  • Adverbial Clauses:
    • Place: donde (where)
    • Time: cuando (when)
    • Manner: como (how)
    • Comparative: tan… como, más… que (as… as, more… than)
    • Causal: porque (because)
    • Consecutive: por lo tanto (therefore)
    • Final: para (for, in order to)
    • Conditional: si (if)
    • Concessive: aunque (although) (indicates an obstacle)

Numbers – det. num. – long – det. ind. – Aun (even) – more – time – adv. – adv. – adv. – mañana (tomorrow) – no (no) – can – ET – det. dem. – ese (that) – (pron. (front sust. with sub. adj.)) – link (sub. Susta.)

Sentence Elements

  • Subject: SN / Subject – Elliptical – Preposition. It is identified by asking “Who?” to the verb. It agrees with the verb in number. If the verb changes number, what varies is the subject.
  • Predicate: SV / P (verbal or nominal)
    • PN (Nominal Predicate): with copulative verbs (ser, estar, parecer – to be, to seem)
    • PV (Verbal Predicate): with the rest of the verbs. Everything that is predicated and is not the subject.
  • Attribute: Only with copulative verbs. It is required (cannot be deleted). It can be replaced by lo.
  • Direct Object (CD): Never with copulative verbs. It can be replaced by lo, la, los, las. Ask “What?” to the verb. The CD becomes the subject in a passive sentence. It can only take the preposition “a” before the CD (a + person).
  • Indirect Object (CI): Preceded by the preposition a. Ask “To whom / for whom?” to the verb. It is replaced by le, se, les. It may appear doubled (Le compré un libro a María – I bought a book for Maria).
  • Prepositional Complement (C. Régimen): The verb needs this complement, which is introduced by a preposition (confiar en, acordarse de… – to trust in, to remember…). They are replaced by stressed pronouns, not adverbs (Confiaré en ti, acuérdate de eso – I will trust you, remember that). The preposition never disappears, even when you replace it or ask the verb “What is he reliable for?” Él confía en ti (He trusts you).
  • Agent Complement (C. Agente): Performs the action of the verb. It appears in the passive voice (ser + past participle). It always takes the preposition por (by). If it becomes active, the C. Agente becomes the Subject.
  • Predicative Complement (PVO): It is often misdiagnosed as CCM. It complements the subject or the verb + CD or verb + CI. The attribute is also a predicative complement in a copulative sentence. (Juan salió contento de la reunión) (S.Adj / PVO) (John came out happy from the meeting).
  • Circumstantial Complements (CC): Cannot be replaced by unstressed pronouns (lo, la, le…). Can take any preposition. Can be replaced by adverbs (así, entonces, claro – so, then, of course). Can be removed from the sentence; not necessary.
    • Time: ¿Cuándo? (When?) Entonces (Then)
    • Place: ¿Dónde? (Where?) Allí, aquí, allá (There, here, there)
    • Manner: ¿Cómo? (How?) Así (So, like this)
    • Company: ¿Con quién? (With whom?)
    • Instrument: ¿Con qué? (With what?)
    • Cause: ¿Por qué? (Why?) (Because)
    • Purpose: ¿Para qué? (For what?)
    • Quantity: ¿Cuánto? (How much?)