Español — pronominal verbs (change of meaning)
Adding the reflexive pronoun se to certain verbs does more than mark reflexivity: it can shift the meaning or aspect. Compare ir (to go) with irse (to leave), or dormir (to sleep) with dormirse (to fall asleep).
How it works
The pronominal form often marks the start of an action (dormirse = fall asleep), a change of state, a departure (irse = leave), or completeness (comerse = eat up). Me voy is not the same as voy: the first stresses leaving, the second only going.
Examples
| Verb → pronominal | Meaning and example |
|---|---|
| ir → irse | go somewhere → leave, go away. Voy al trabajo (I'm going to work) vs. Ya me voy (I'm leaving now). |
| quedar → quedarse | arrange to meet / remain → stay, remain in a place. Quedamos a las cinco (let's meet at five) vs. Me quedo en casa (I'm staying home). |
| dormir → dormirse | sleep (state) → fall asleep (start). Duermo ocho horas (I sleep eight hours) vs. Me dormí en el sofá (I fell asleep on the sofa). |
| acordar → acordarse | agree, decide → remember. Acordaron un precio (they agreed on a price) vs. No me acuerdo de su nombre (I don't remember his name). |
| comer → comerse | eat (in general) → eat up, finish off (whole thing). Como fruta (I eat fruit) vs. Se comió toda la pizza (he ate the whole pizza). |
Good to know
The pronoun agrees with the subject (me, te, se, nos, os, se), so the extra shade of meaning stays even when conjugated: me voy, te duermes, se comió. The comerse / dormirse type is optional and mostly colloquial, but irse and acordarse are fixed — you cannot say acordar de algo to mean remember it.