"irse" or "se... ir"?

Question

I just learned the phrase acaba de and the verb irse. And here are the two example sentences with the same meaning.

1. Los muchachos se acaban de ir para la fiesta.

2. Los muchachos acaban de irse para la fuesta.

I would like to know:

(1) When can ir and se come together as a word?

(2) When cannot ir and se come together as a word?

(3) If "para la fiesta" is replaced by "a la fiesta", will there be any difference in the meaning?

Answer 1

Both of your sentences are correct.

There are three verb forms where the pronoun can be attached to the verb: the infinitive (which is your case above), the gerund and the imperative.

Native speakers, in my experience tend to use form 1 above, but form 2 is perfectly correct, acceptable and understandable.

As to replacing para la fiesta with a la fiesta, the difference is minor and both are again okay.

Thank you very much! - joygogo, Sep 29, 2013