Accidental se · se me olvidó
Things that happen to you by accident: se + me / te / le … + a verb that agrees with the thing. Se me olvidó el libro, se me olvidaron las llaves.
Examples
- Se me olvidó el libro.I forgot the book.
- Se me olvidaron las llaves.I forgot the keys.
- Se te cayó el vaso.You dropped the glass.
How it works
Spanish says an accident "happened to" someone: the thing is the subject, and the person is a pronoun.
The order
se, then the person, then the verb:
The verb
it agrees with the thing, not with the person:
Common verbs
olvidar (forget), caer (drop), perder (lose), romper (break), acabar (run out), estropear (break down).
Not the passive
Se venden libros has no person. Here someone is affected, so there is a me, te, le…
Common mistakes
What you'll practise
1. se + me / te / le … (who it happened to)
se comes first, then the person it happened to: se me, se te, se le, se nos, se les. Never me se.
- Se te cayó el vaso.You dropped the glass.
2. The verb agrees with the thing (olvidó / olvidaron)
The thing is the subject: se me olvidó el libro, se me olvidaron las llaves. The verb never takes the person's form (not olvidé).
- Se me olvidaron las llaves.I forgot the keys.
Practise it until it sticks
Short drills built on these 2 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.