Why is 'se' in this sentence.

Question

I have a really hard time knowing when to include 'se'. I've studied all the chapters on reflexive verbs and understood everything fine because of course the examples are easy. Here's an instance where I don't understand why 'se' is needed. Can anyone shed some light on this? This is from a native so I'm not questioning whether or not it's correct.

"Gracias a Dios no se me hizo tarde."

Context: The alarm clock didn't sound.

Answer 1

"...Dios no me hizo tarde" = God did not make me late

"Hacer" requires someone who does something (subject), and something to be done (object), but here, in "hacerse tarde" (getting late) something has happened (it got late), but no one is doing it. This suppression of the original subject is accomplished with 'se' in Spanish. That optional "me" indicates who is affected by this event.

Se hizo tarde = It got late

Se me hizo tarde = It got late 'to me'

• If that's the case then is it used when you say something like "It makes me happy"? Because I always thought "me hace feliz" was correct. - Erin Aug 4, 2011
• Me hace feliz is correct. Here hacer just means "to make" and "me" is the I.O. Not reflexive. Hacerse has the sense, in English, of "to become." "Thank god I didn't become late - Jeremias Aug 4, 2011

Answer 2

Alright, let me give it a shot.

No se me hizo tarde = I wasn't made late.

Literally, no one made me late.

'Se' here replaces one, or someone, alarm clock, Jack, Sarah ...etc.

Answer 3

the Se is the alarm clock, the me is who was late, (or in this case wasn't) and hizo tarde was "made late"

Se me hizo tarde

Answer 4

Let's look at this another way: hacerse the reflexive verb is one of three reflexive Spanish verbs that translate into English as "to become"

Hacerse

Vovlerse

Ponerse.

Think of "se hace tarde" as "it becomes late," and "no se me hizo tarde" as "It didn't make itself late to me," or "I wasn't (didn't become) late. Sort of like "Se mi olvidó el cuaderno."

"Me hizo sentir como un nadie" - not reflexive - "It made me feel like a nobody."

I am just starting to get used to the use of the reflexive where it seems more natural and I make fewer mistakes. It takes a little getting used to!

• Why is "Se hizo tarde" reflexive? What is making itself late? Or whom? Reflexive here makes no sense. - lazarus1907 Aug 4, 2011

Answer 5

If that's the case then is it used when you say something like "It makes me happy"? Because I always thought "me hace feliz" was correct.

Who says it isn't? But in "Me hace feliz", someone or something does make you happy, so there is an actor (whatever or whoever makes you happy) and someone affected (me): you have two participants in that sentence. The pronoun 'se' in the original question effectively reduces the number of participants to just one.