What makes a conjugation have Me, Te, Se, etc.?

Question

I looked up the conjugation for derrotar and saw that it had Me, Te, Se, Nos... Is there a way to know a verb has this type of conjugation without looking it up?

Usually if the infinitive has the suffix -se you can be sure the conjugation will have the reflexive pronouns you mentioned. - Jubilado, Oct 17, 2014

Answer 1

I just learned this on Fluencia (SD's interactive Spanish lessons).

Me, Te, Se: These are reflexive pronouns and mean that something is happening TO the person or thing.

Me, Tí, Sí: These are possessive pronouns and show that they possess something in the sentence (I have, I like, etc.)

Here in the grammer section you can find:

Possessive Pronouns

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns

I'm sure it's more complicated than I can explain, but it's a start.

Oh and welcome to SD, unbelievable! If you finish filling out your profile, people here will be better able to help and answer your questions. Have fun! - Findy, Oct 17, 2014

Thanks :) What do you mean by finish my profile? Are you talking about the "about me" section of it? - unbelievable, Oct 18, 2014

Yes. :) Sometimes it's easier for us here to know what country to live in, what language you are here to learn (English or Spanish), and a few fun facts about you, if you like. Check out other peoples' profiles for examples. - Findy, Oct 19, 2014

ha (Obviously, you're here to learn Spanish since it's in your profile.) Silly me. - Findy, Oct 19, 2014

Answer 2

Further clarification on Reflexive verbs cited by Findy: The action of the verb goes back to the subject (reflects back). One of the most apparent: bañarse to take a bath or literally to bathe oneself. Me baño. I'm taking a bath (or can mean just cleaning myself).

Here is another link for this site:

Reciprocal verbs and pronouns

And here's another site about it:

Use of Reflexive Pronouns

Thanks, Jubilado! :) - Findy, Oct 19, 2014