To decide is decidirSE and not just decidir?

Question

¿Cuanto falta para que te decidas? How long until you decide? Gracias.

Answer 1

How long until you decide? = ¿Cuánto falta para que te decidas?

Yes, we use decidirse when we are talking with with somebody about someone else who needs to take a decision and it's taking too much time or when we are talking about an issue that has to be decided.

For example:

-Ya ha pasado mucho tiempo y él no puede decidirse. (Ya ha pasado mucho tiempo y él no se puede decidir).

-Ya tenemos que irnos pero ella no puede decidirse. ( ... no se puede decidir)

-El jefe me está presionando, ¡esto tiene que decidirse ya!. ( ...ser decidido")

In your example you used it no reflexively because you are addressing to someone directly.

You can also say:

¿Cuánto falta para que se decidan? , in this case if you are talking about ellos, you would be asking it to someone else in a sort of desperate sense, not hoping to have an exact response but letting people now that you are a bit or very upset, depending on your voice tone.

If you are talking about ustedes, then you are addressing directly to people again.

'addressing someone directly', 'asking it of someone', 'letting people know' (typo I'm sure), 'tone of voice', 'addressing people directly' - Good explanation Dakie! - galsally, Feb 25, 2011

thanks galsally - Dakie, Feb 25, 2011

... make a decision ... Good examples, Dakie, and near perfect English (& Spanish, too). - hhmdirocco, Mar 2, 2011

Answer 2

"Decidirse" also has the idea of making up one's mind.

Also, "decidir" is more often transitive, meaning it has an object (even if that object is understood by the context and not expressed in that sentence).

This site's dictionary gives a few good comparative examples.

I was just thinking to myself "the context sounds like we would say 'make up one's mind'" - thanks! - galsally, Feb 25, 2011

Answer 3

The pronoun se is used as a complement of the action. For example " Ella no puede decidir " decidir means decide, but you are not telling what is the thing that she cant decide. Whereas "Ella no puede decidirse " is implying something that you just know. For example. "Ella va a comprar un carro, pero ella no puede decidirse " It means she is going to buy a car but she cant decide, obviously which car to buy.

to buy. - hhmdirocco, Feb 24, 2011

I fixed a couple of small typos so as not to confuse our learners of English, bea. :) - galsally, Feb 25, 2011

can't - hhmdirocco, Mar 2, 2011

Answer 4

So decidir is to decide and decidirse is to make up your mind, so that means that "Decidí" is an incomplete sentence (I decided) because it needs an object but "me decidí" is a complete sentence and doesn't need an object. I've made up my mind.

Not necessarily. I used the object/no object line as a general thought pattern for deciding which to use. Look at the Dictionary entry on this site for some examples, including ones where "decidir" is not transitive. They will be much less common. - hhmdirocco, Feb 25, 2011

I should just read through all your questions, Jeezz, they are so good. :D - galsally, Feb 25, 2011

Jeezle asks tons of weird and wonderful questions! He's the best questioner of the Forum! :-) - Gekkosan, Feb 25, 2011

You are right. - LuisCache, Feb 25, 2011

Gracias. - jeezzle, Feb 25, 2011

Answer 5

Jeezzle ,its an oopps on my part I misunderstood the question.

I'm humming it but nothing happens. - jeezzle, Feb 24, 2011

no wonder nothing happened! - pacofinkler, Feb 24, 2011