is there a wrong or right way to speak; or slang; such as:la semana pasada, me comi un monton de fresas para la;or la semana pasada, me comi mucho fresas por cena (one is definetly for me easier, but is it correct)

Question

just wanting to know if one is preferred over the other; or would one be considered slang

• Is "latrina" a slang word - toilet???" - 00e8f2fa Feb 10, 2010
• no, you mean "letrina" martinj - Benz Feb 11, 2010
• well seeing how the latrine is a toilet my name is latrina as trina hope you are just ignorant of the fact and wasnt just being a fool - latrina Feb 12, 2010

Answer 1

I think Me comí un monton de fresas is correct. There are exceptions in the language were involved certain very personal and or body functions-actions the pronoun is necessary to accentuate the action: example:

Me lavé los dientes.

Me comí una torta.

Me tomé una copa de vino.

Me gané la lotería.

Answer 2

Neither of these is quite correct. La semana pasada, comí un montón de fresas para la cena.

Or

La semana pasada, comí muchas fresas para la cena.

"Comer" is not a reflexive verb, so you would not use the "me". If you want to add the subject pronoun, use "yo" in front of "comí", but it's better without.

You wouldn't say "mucho fresas". The "mucho" needs to agree both in gender and number with the noun it's modifying. "Fresas" is feminine plural, so "muchas".

I hope that's helpful.

Calvo

• I disagree, it is acceptable to say **Me comi un monton de fresas**, please correct this to avoid confussion. - juluque Feb 10, 2010

Answer 3

"Me bebí una botella de vino"

Muchos estudiosos de la lengua afirman que este pronombre es prescindible. Sin embargo, me gustaría aclarar que existe en la lengua por una razón, de lo contrario su presencia no tendría sentido. Es cierto que en algunos casos el verbo puede aparecer con o sin pronombre emotivo. Pero en muchos otros casos ese verbo requiere el pronombre, así como en otros es imposible su aparición.

Este pronombre no desempeña una función gramatical en la oración. Aplicado a verbos, normalmente relacionados con el consumo, o verbos que indican un proceso que muestra la consumición de un objeto, como beber, fumar, comer, tragar, gastar, jugar (dinero), leer, escuchar...para intensificar el significado del verbo, en construcciones transitivas o intransitivas.

Excerpted from: " Los diferentes tipos de "se" en ELE" por

Lidia Lozano González

• Gracias por aclarar etso, Samdie. Pero ahora estoy muy confundido. Me toca estudiar este asunto. - CalvoViejo Feb 10, 2010

Answer 4

Comí las fresas. = I ate the strawberries.

Me comí las fresas. = I ate the strawberries up. / I ate up the strawberries. / I ate [all] the strawberries up.

Like that block of text says, adding the "se" to verbs of consumption make the verb feel stronger, or focusing on the fact that the object was entirely consumed. Sometimes there isn't a good English translation, or sometimes you can insert a different word in English, like maybe "I scarfed down the strawberries."

You can check the different meaning of the -se version of verbs by looking at the dictionary entry under "pronominal verb", if there happens to be one.

Answer 5

Is the use of "Me comí" completely and officially acceptable, even in formal writing, or is it an informal yet very common construction?

El uso de "me comí" es completamente aceptable. No es slang.

• Gracias Mokay. Eso era lo que queria saber. :-) - chaparrito Feb 11, 2010

Answer 6

Just to confuse you a little more... (I'm kidding ) they are the same but the have different uses. Let me give you some examples:

.

-Este fin de semana comí muchísimo (NO me comí)

-Me comí un plato entero de torta o Comí un plato entero de torta (ei. when followed by a direct object, you can say "comí un plato de frutillas" or "me comí un plato de frutillas").

.

Besides, when you use "me comí", "me fumé", "me tomé" you are putting more enphasis on your statement.

.

Hope it helps and does NOT confuse you more. Just one more thing. It's not slang

• clap clap clap! - juluque Feb 11, 2010
• Bien claro, Benz. Buenas explicaciones. ¡Gracias! :-) - chaparrito Feb 11, 2010
• thx, i have nothing against slang but if im speaking slang just wanted to know; incase im in a formal setting - latrina Feb 12, 2010

Answer 7

la semana pasada, me comi un monton de fresas para la

In addition to what Calvo said, the one above is close if you changed it like he suggested:

La semana pasada comí un montón de fresas ...

This would be like saying "I ate a bunch of strawberries..." or "a lot", or "a heap", etc. (Yummmm...)

Answer 8

Me comí el queso. = I ate the cheese up. / I ate up the cheese. / I ate [all] the cheese up.

Okay, so if I get this right, then to say "Me comí un montón de fresas." would be like saying: "I ate myself a whole lot of strawberries."

• For some reason, that sentence only feels ok if I say it in a southern [American] accent. I think "I ate myself" sounds unnatural. - Luciente Feb 10, 2010
• Southern, Exactly! - chaparrito Feb 10, 2010

Answer 9

Okay, so if I get this right, then to say "Me comí un montón de fresas." would be like saying: "I ate myself a whole lot of strawberries."

Though I'm a Yankee, I've heard southerners use this sort of expression and, yes, it does convey much of the same "flavor".

However, don't be misled by the use of "myself" in the "Southernism". This is in no way a reflexive construction (neither in English nor in Spanish).

P.S. Lazarus wrote a reference article (but I don't recall the title) that covers pretty much all of the same information as the article that I mentioned previously.

• This helps, as usual! Thanks. And I just went back and re-read Lazarus' comments on one of the 'SE' threads. He does make that point about not being reflexive. I had forgotten, or maybe it just didn't sink in. ;-) - chaparrito Feb 11, 2010

Answer 10

Chaparrito and Luciente , I think it makes more sense to put it this way in English:

I, myself, ate a whole bunch of strawberries.

or

I, by myself, ate a whole bunch of strawberries.

The phrase, worded this way, enables us native English speakers to catch the purpose for emphasis because when there is something particularily out of the ordinary we would word it this way as well!

• True, your sentences make perfect sense. But I'm wondering if I'm getting the 'flavor' by saying "myself" in a southern drawl. :-) - chaparrito Feb 10, 2010
• Whatever floats your southern boat! In all seriousness though, I can almost hear the southern drawl myself. :-) - renaerules Feb 10, 2010

Answer 11

Luciente said:

For some reason, that sentence only feels ok if I say it in a southern [American] accent. I think "I ate myself" sounds unnatural.

It's a little hard to put regional voice accents into a written post, but this is exactly what I was thinking. I have even said this very phrase, "I ate myself a bunch o' (whatever)." It is not unusual to hear this. It sounds very informal, but I do hear/say it.

However, what I'm wondering, is... Is the use of "Me comí" completely and officially acceptable, even in formal writing, or is it an informal yet very common construction? (Now that I think of it, I believe that may have been the original question posed by Latrina! )

• I ate myself a whole mess o' taters last night. - Izanoni1 Mar 29, 2010

Answer 12

yes it is soooooooooooooooooo wrong to speak slang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111