Another reflexive question
I have just completed the SpanishDict Lesson 2.6 and am doing the flashcards. I notice that the card for "he died" is "se murió" but the flashcard for "he was born" is "nació".
Is dying reflexive even if the person doesn't kill himself?
If so, is there a reason that dying is reflexive but being born isn't, or is it just "one of those things"?
3 Answers
First of all, the Spanish "se" is only reflexive sometimes. This pronoun has other uses that do not even have a direct translation in English, so talking about "reflexive" can be counterproductive if you really want to understand Spanish, since there are thousands of cases where "se" is not reflexive at all. In "se murió" there is no reflexivity, for example; no one is dying "himself."
"Morir", without the pronoun "se", is used mainly with unexpected and violent deaths, whereas "morirse" (with "se") is more used with gradual and natural deaths. The form without the pronoun "se" is generally preferred in literary Spanish, whereas the one with the pronoun ("se") is preferred in colloquial Spanish, probably because of its emotive overtones.
Actually I think, nacer can't be reflexive , you know it's your mother who bears you... : Darle luz a alguien And dying is , if no one kills you , you are the one who is responsible for it. It's your heart which stops... I think because of that nacer is normal and morirse is reflexive...
It's just one of those things. Actually morir is used often enough without a pronomial, but I am not sure how to explain the context. Actually, I am not sure I know it!
J
