why is pelearse reflexive?
I am teaching a unit in Spanish II (high school) and one of the vocab words in pelearse. Why is pelear considered reflexive?
4 Answers
Hi and welcome to the forum. I found this answer from another wise member of SpanishDict:
Pelear can be use both transitively and intransitively.
Pelearse can be used reflexively or pronominally.
Some verbs can't be used in all of these forms. Pelear(se) can and in some cases it changes the meaning of the verb. [ Look at the verb gustar. You will see that it can be used transitively or intransitively (with different meanings), but it has no uses pronominally nor reflexively.]
So if you wanted to say:
The police fight crime. Is it pelear or pelearse?
The verb in our sentence is being used transitively (there is a direct object in the sentence). Check to see that pelear being used transitively means to fight. It does. Therefore, it must be pelear; not pelearse.
The police fight. (intransitive. Intransitive pelear means to fight. Again, it's pelear.
If I wanted to say the the two women were quarreling with each other I would first look to see if pelear could be used reflexively and if its reflexive meaning was what I wanted. According to the dictionary pelear can be used reflexively/reciprocally), but its meaning is physical not just quarreling (arguing). Since that didn't work I look to pronominal uses and I see that a pronominal meaning is to argue (so does the intransitive, but I want the reciprocal (with each other)) so I have to go with pelearse.
So you have to first see if the verb can be used as you want to (e.g. transitive, etc.) and then you must see if it has the meaning that you want to use when in that construction. If so, use it.
The point is that pelearse is not reflexive, but pronominal. And pelear is intransitive.
As an intransitive verb, pelear has two main meanings: 1) to fight with someone else, and 2) to work hard for something, as in the next sentences:
Me peleé con mi hermano por el videojuego.
Él peleó con todas sus fuerzas por dejar las drogas.
As a pronominal verb, pelearse means to end a relationship or a friendship:
Me peleé con mi novia, y dejamos de hablarnos.
Its use as a transitive verb is incorrect, although extended.
Michael Jordan peleaba todos los balones (used incorrectly as a transitive verb)
I´m not sure what are you referring to but "pelearse" means "to fight":
(ustedes) dejen de pelearse y esténse en paz"
"Stop fighting and stay put."
any other question ask again and give more information.
thank you everyone for you answers!! I now see that in the chapter in which I am teaching it is being used reciprocally rather than reflexively. Now I can explain it with so much more confidence to my students!!!
¡mil gracias! ¡¡¡ustedes son maravillosos!!!!
