During my years as a Spanish teacher, I’ve discovered how magical it is to teach our beautiful language. We don’t just teach grammar rules—we teach people to see life through a new philosophy. And that is exactly what happens with this special use of the pronoun “se”: it helps us express that something was not planned, that even though we were involved, we didn’t mean for it to happen. It was unexpected and accidental.
This is very characteristic of us Latin Americans: we feel deeply connected to what happens around us—it affects us, it touches us. That’s why, if a glass falls while I’m washing it, I would NEVER say, “The glass fell while I was washing it.” In Spanish we say: “Se me cayó el vaso.”
And that short phrase actually says so much more.
By using “se,” I express that it was an accident, something unplanned.
With “me,” I acknowledge that I was performing the action.
And the verb in third person confirms that it was an unfortunate, unintended event.
That “se” implicitly says: I’m sorry, it hurts me, it affects me.
You don’t simply say “cayó” because that would imply that you wanted it to fall. By saying “se me cayó,” you place a piece of yourself in the moment—you’re subtly apologizing.
More examples:
• Se me olvidó la llave.
• Se me rompió la taza.
• Se me cayó el pastel.
• Se me olvidó llamarle por su cumpleaños.
Learning a new language is truly exciting—there are things the soul feels that only words can express.
To learn a new language is to learn a new way of perceiving and living reality.
You can discover all of this and more in our classes.
Get in touch with us today!
