No se las podías mirar

[Tyrn]

Hi,

Las llamas eran tan brillantes que no se las podías mirar.

What is the place of se in this sentence? Is it really necessary?

[Rusty]

The use of 'se' is required when expressing an impersonal subject (when no particular person is being referenced). Notice the word 'reference.' It requires a third-person singular form of the verb.
Your sentence has a second-person singular form of the verb. A particular person is being addressed (it's not a reference to a third party). Therefore, it isn't an impersonal reference and 'se' doesn't belong in the sentence.

[Tyrn]

So s in podías is probably a typo?

[Rusty]

Yep.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree. It's definitely a typo.


It's either: "No se las podía mirar" or "no las podías mirar". Both would be correct, but one is an impersonal sentence, the other is talking to "you", the reader.