se
“se” means “oneself” in Spanish. It has 5 different meanings depending on context:
oneself, himself, herself, itself, yourself, themselves, yourselves
📝 In Action
Ella se levanta temprano.
A1She gets up early.
Él se viste para la fiesta.
A1He gets dressed for the party.
Los niños se lavan las manos antes de comer.
A2The children wash their hands before eating.
each other, one another
📝 In Action
Los amigos se abrazan.
A2The friends hug each other.
Mis padres se quieren mucho.
A2My parents love each other very much.
Se vieron en el parque.
B1They saw each other in the park.
one, you, they
Also: (passive voice marker)
📝 In Action
Aquí se habla español.
A2Spanish is spoken here.
Se venden casas en esta calle.
B1Houses are sold on this street.
¿Cómo se dice 'apple' en español?
A1How do you say 'apple' in Spanish?
Se necesita más tiempo para terminar.
B1More time is needed to finish.
to him, to her, to you (formal), to them, to you (plural, formal)
📝 In Action
Le di el libro a Juan. -> Se lo di.
B1I gave the book to Juan. -> I gave it to him.
Les compré flores a mis padres. -> Se las compré.
B1I bought flowers for my parents. -> I bought them for them.
¿Le escribiste la carta a ella? —Sí, se la escribí anoche.
B2Did you write the letter to her? —Yes, I wrote it to her last night.
(adds emphasis)
Also: up, down
📝 In Action
Mi hermano comió la pizza.
A1My brother ate the pizza.
Mi hermano se comió toda la pizza.
B2My brother ate up the whole pizza.
Bebió un vaso de agua.
A1He drank a glass of water.
Se bebió un litro de agua.
B2He drank down a whole liter of water.
🔀 Commonly Confused With
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "se" in Spanish:
be→down→each other→herself→himself→i know→itself→one another→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: se
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence uses 'se' to mean 'each other'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin pronoun 'sē', which meant 'himself', 'herself', or 'themselves'. Over centuries, its use expanded in Spanish to cover all the different functions it has today.
First recorded: Evolved from Vulgar Latin; present in the earliest forms of Spanish.
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'se' have so many meanings? It's confusing!
It is confusing at first! Think of 'se' as a multi-tool. Its main job is to relate the action of the verb back to someone or something. Sometimes it points back to the person doing the action ('he washes himself'), sometimes it points to no one in particular ('one speaks Spanish'), and sometimes it's just there to make the sentence sound smoother ('se lo di'). Learning the patterns one by one is the best approach.
What's the difference between 'se' and 'sé'?
The accent mark is everything! 'Se' (without an accent) is the pronoun with all the meanings we've discussed here. 'Sé' (with an accent) is completely different: it means 'I know' (from the verb saber) or is the command form of 'be' (from the verb ser), like 'Sé bueno' (Be good).
When does 'se' go before the verb, and when is it attached to the end?
'Se' usually goes right before the main, active verb (e.g., 'Él se levanta'). It gets attached to the end in three main situations: 1) the verb is in its base '-ar/-er/-ir' form ('levantarse'), 2) the verb is in an '-ando/-iendo' form ('levantándose'), or 3) it's a positive command ('¡Levántate!').