Using "se"

[Elaina]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Throw your grammar book away

"Se vende naranjas" is not possible (not even theoretically). Here there is an interesting link about this question.

It's possible......if you see the word "naranjas" as one thing or a group of one item.

Por ejemplo:

¿Que se vende en esa tienda?
-- Bueno se vende fruta, se vende naranjas, manzanas, plátanos, etc.

I know I'm on left field with this one but it is possible..........

[bricks]

Ah. I'm finding this very difficult. I understand the concept and theory behind se being a passive voice, a reflexive pronoun, and an impersonal pronoun, but when I go and read something for practice I just can't make sense of the sentence.

Does anyone have any tips or general advice (anything!) that help them distinguish between uses? I've been studying Spanish for three months and this is the first thing I've found hard. I may return to it later when I'm a little better.

Thanks friends.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by bricks

Ah. I'm finding this very difficult. .... I've been studying Spanish for three months and this is the first thing I've found hard. I may return to it later when I'm a little better.

I find it very hard, out of proportion to its importance. I think in learning a language, rather than lose heart it is advisable to make a mental note of such problems, and return at a later date. It will sink in at the appropriate time.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by Elaina

It's possible......if you see the word "naranjas" as one thing or a group of one item.

Por ejemplo:

¿Que se vende en esa tienda?
-- Bueno se vende fruta, se vende naranjas, manzanas, plátanos, etc.

I know I'm on left field with this one but it is possible..........

I'm sorry, but it's not possible:

Se vende fruta: naranjas, manzanas, etc.
Or
Se vende fruta. (Se) venden naranjas, manzanas, etc.

If you want to speak a correct Spanish, you mustn't confuse "pasiva refleja" with "impersonales". When I hear some Spanish speaker mixing such sentences up my ears cry



Bricks, three months is a very short time to learn "se" uses. Maybe later you'll be able to learn them better.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Bricks: I guess you will just have to go through reading and making sentences to start developing the feeling for it... in the meantime, check the hints that have been provided so you can actually get to approach the general usage. There is no shortcut.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by Elaina

It's possible......if you see the word "naranjas" as one thing or a group of one item.

Por ejemplo:

¿Que se vende en esa tienda?
-- Bueno se vende fruta, se vende naranjas, manzanas, plátanos, etc.

I know I'm on left field with this one but it is possible..........

Your examples are very skillful.

Congratulation.

[Fazor]

Originally Posted by Perikles

I find it very hard, out of proportion to its importance. I think in learning a language, rather than lose heart it is advisable to make a mental note of such problems, and return at a later date. It will sink in at the appropriate time.

I like that advice. I've found that many times when I've had problems figuring something out (which is very often, by the way), it may seem like one particular word/rule/whatever that's hard to grasp, but it reality, it's because I've yet to learn other aspects of grammar.

I don't know if that makes sense or not, but in short; the more I learn, the more other things become (relatively) easier to grasp.

. . . keep in mind, my Spanish isn't all that good yet.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by Fazor

I like that advice. I've found that many times when I've had problems figuring something out (which is very often, by the way), it may seem like one particular word/rule/whatever that's hard to grasp, but it reality, it's because I've yet to learn other aspects of grammar.

I don't know if that makes sense or not, but in short; the more I learn, the more other things become (relatively) easier to grasp.

. . . keep in mind, my Spanish isn't all that good yet.

I have seen your Spanish and it seems more correct than the mine.


I believe that sometimes it's hard to grasp because the person hasn't the animus to learn the language.

[Fazor]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

I have seen your Spanish and it seems more correct than the mine.

No es verdad, pero gracias. La problema es que no sé la gramática en ingles. Es difícil para aprender gramática en español cuando no lo sé en tus lengua materna. Puedo hablar y escribir en ingles porque yo vivo la lengua, pero yo no estudiaba gramática mucho. No me gustaba.