Ch 32 · Lesson 9Spanish · Chapter 32 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Se me olvidó, se me ocurrió: the verbs and the person
The verbs of accidents, losses and sudden ideas, and a Pedro to name who it happened to. Plus the mistakes.
The short version
Accidents, losses and sudden ideas take
.
Why?Hide
The accidental goes with the verbs of things that happen to you: (I dropped), (it broke on me), (I lost), (I ran out of), (I had an idea). Name the person with a: a Pedro .
The verbs that take it
The verbs of accidents, losses and sudden thoughts:
| Verb | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
. | I dropped the coffee. | |
. | My phone broke. | |
. | I forgot my wallet. | |
. | I lost my glasses. | |
. | We ran out of bread. | |
. | I burnt the dinner. | |
. | His/Her dog got away. | |
. | I had an idea. |
Note the article: Spanish says , , where English says "my". The me already says whose. me is the everyday way to say "I had an idea", a thought that happened to you.
A Pedro se le cayó: naming the person
and do not say who. Add a + the person, as with any indirect object:
| Who | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Pedro | Pedro . | Pedro lost his glasses. |
| María | María . | María dropped the coffee. |
| the children | . | The children's dog got away. |
| me, stressed | , . | I forgot, but you didn't. |
A Pedro is not the subject: the glasses are, which is why the verb is plural. One person is ; two or more is .
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| me | | the verb agrees with the thing |
| me | | a plural thing, a plural verb |
| me | | always comes first |
| yo | | takes no object |
| a Pedro | Pedro | one person: |
Going further: The accidental se at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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10-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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