Is the reflexive pronoun really important?
2
votes
I typed this sentence into the translator: "The movie ends at 10:00" and got two similar translations:
La película termina a las 10:00. La película se termina en 10:00.
My question is, "is it correct to use the reflexive pronoun "se" in the second translation, and if it is, does that make the other translation incorrect because it does not use "se"?
Gracias.
1199 views
updated Feb 17, 2012
posted by mtmonadnock
Good question. I was able to find both ways used on the internet, so I don't know what the difference is or why one is preferred over the other... - Goldie_Miel, Feb 17, 2012
Yes Goldie, both of the sentences above came from the "translator". Thanks for checking! - mtmonadnock, Feb 17, 2012
1 Answer
6
votes
Is the reflexive pronoun really important?
Yes. In strictest grammar rules, the movie is not finishing something. It is finishing itself or something or someone is ending it, so the use of "se" here is correct.
updated Feb 24, 2012
edited by 005faa61
posted by 005faa61
So, would anything else just be bad grammar? One ex. I saw was "A que hora termina la película?" - Goldie_Miel, Feb 17, 2012
This is very common using this word, but grammatically incorrect. I even do this myself : - ( - 005faa61, Feb 17, 2012
Ok, thanks. I'll make a mental note of that, lol - Goldie_Miel, Feb 17, 2012
Thanks Julian, your answer is very clear. - mtmonadnock, Feb 17, 2012
