I am still confused with 'se encuentra'.

Question

Here is a page right out of Rosetta Stone.

They are obviously trying to show the difference between 'le ayudan', 'llama por', 'habla con', and 'se encuentra con'. I understand the first two.

But why again is it 'habla con' for 'she talks with', but it is 'se encuentra con' for 'the woman meets with'? Why isn't it just 'La mujer encuentra con..."?

I was given a few explanations when I asked before... but I don't see anything different about the subject in either of those two examples.

Answer 1

But why again is it 'habla con' for 'she talks with', but it is 'se encuentra con' for 'the woman meets with'? Why isn't it just 'La mujer encuentra con..."?

Why don't you look at your own language first:

I found myself with a friend having beers on a Monday night.

Why don't you remove that 'myself' (which is almost like the Spanish reflexive you want to remove) and write:

I found with a friend having beers on a Monday night.

If you think that "I found with a friend" is fine without "myself", I understand your confusion, but if you don't, what's the problem with the Spanish sentence, which also uses "find oneself", like in English?

Answer 2

Because the verb is encontrarSE con. It is not encontrar. That means to find. Encontrar - to find. EncontarSE (con) - to meet with. The se can change the verb.

Edit: I never felt like Rosetta explained things very well.

Look at the top one:

Ellos le ayudan a su abuelo.

Now look at the one below it.

El niño llama por teléfono a su madre.

Now why isn't it "El niño le llama por teléfono a su madre."

Based on the series of pictures, it seems like it would be doesn't it?

They don't explain anything... ever :). According to them, I shouldn't even be asking grammatical questions about it. LOL. - Tosh, Jun 6, 2011

I'd have said 'le llama por...etc' too - galsally, Jun 7, 2011

Answer 3

Tosh,

Here is something else you may hopefully learn, so it will resolve a lot of your questions.

There are seven different uses of the pronoun "Se"

1. Reflexive -- Miguel se invitó a la fiesta. Mike invited himself to the party.

2. Reciprocal -- Ana y Tomás se necesitan. Ana y Tom need each other.

3. Impersonal Actions -- Se va por allí. You go that way.

4. Passive Voice (with no agent, but personal subject) -- Se recomendó a ese doctor. That doctor was recommended.

5. Passive Voice (no agent, but impersonal subject) -- Se descubrió América en 1492. America was discovered in 1492.

6. Accidents expressed euphemistically -- Se nos rompió el radio. We broke the radio.

7. Indirect Objects (to replace using two L words together Le los changes to se los) -- Se los dimos. We gave them to him.

   If you become familiar with them you will find it is a lot easier to translate the meaning of Spanish sentences.

Good luck!

Accident: I would say, "The radio broke for us" (or "... on us") - pesta, Jun 7, 2011

Yes, pesta, that would be the direct translation, because Spanish takes the onus(responsibility) of the accident off the person, (so nice), but the English translation puts it back on him or them again! - NancyGrace, Jun 7, 2011

Answer 4

Ellos le ayudan a su abuelo

Frankly, I think this is improper. It should be "Ellos ayudan a su abuelo" if all they mean is "They are helping their grandfather." To be able to use "le" you need an indirect object.

Now why isn't it "El niño le llama por teléfono a su madre."

Again, "le" is used for the indirect object. In this sentence "su madre" is the direct object. So who is the "le" referring to? It would translate as "The boy is phoning his mother for him/her."

thanks gintar, I think I got it muddled there with 'decir', which would require IOP. - galsally, Jun 7, 2011

Answer 5

I checked both of those verbs on the Conjugation link and both said "to find". Maybe that's why I was confused.

Thanks!

Look in the dictionary for «encontrar.». It gives "to meet" under pronominal usage. (reciprocal and/or reflexive) - 0074b507, Jun 7, 2011

llamar used pronominally means to be named. ayudar used pronominallly means to make use of... so with ayudar and llamar you want the non-pronominal verb usage. - 0074b507, Jun 7, 2011

Tosh, you may be better off using the dictionary rather than Conj. for your definitions as qfreed did. Conj. doesn't give you enough choices. - - - NancyGrace, Jun 7, 2011

Answer 6

Encomtrarse is a reflexive verbs and it means to meet up with someone. Encontrar without se means to find. So la mujer ecuentra con. Would mean, the woman finds with, which makes no sense. Las mujer se encuentra con su amigo. Would mean the woman meets her friend.