saberse vs saber

Question

This is a phrase I read in a book: "Se puede saber que está haciendo? - "Does/can she know what she is doing?" My question is about the reflexive "saberse". The translator has a few examples of its use, and the conjugation tab says that saber "can be reflexive depending on meaning". How is this used compared to "saber"? I would have said "Puede saber". Anyone able to explain this to me?

Gracias por su ayuda.

Answer 1

"Saberse" in other contexts means to know something completely, by heart, every bit of it, where there is nothing reflexive. That usage is often called "completion SE", because it highlights the fulfilment of the action.

However, in your sentence that "SE" is different. It is similar to a passive: "Is it possible (for anyone/me) to know what are you doing?" It is a common usage that most grammars ignore, for some reason. Again, nothing reflexive.

A lot of sentences with "Se puede... + [infinitive]" are polite request about some actions, sometimes used sarcastically.

¿Se puede? (May I come in?)

¿Se puede fumar? (Can anyone smoke here? - Is smoking allowed here?)

You rock! ¡Gracias! - DR1960, Aug 24, 2010

Perfect, I was just going to ask the same thing, since I've heard people say "ya me lo sé." I guess that means "I totally know it." - kimmeister, Sep 13, 2010

Thank you so much for the excellent explanation! I had the same question for "*Me lo sé de memoria*". "Completion SE" - Wow, I've never heard of this before, and it makes so much sense! ¡Gracias, maestro! - tesss, Jul 3, 2016