Why can't I use "se" in this sentence?
In English, I have a sentence that says, "She suffers from depression." I translated it to, "Ella se sufre de depresión," and was told that was incorrect because I added the word "se". I thought it was equivalent to saying, "She herself suffers from depression." Isn't this a reflexive sentence? Thanks everyone! = )
1 Answer
This type of "se" is not a reflexive verb. It is a impersonal se. You use this "se" when you want to express something ti "people in general" example: se habla español = spanish is spoken here or se necesita = it's needed. You only use reflexive when you do the action and you receive the action. Ex. Carlos lava el coche. Carlos is doing the action and coche is receiving the action so is not reflexive, but Carlos se lava el pelo. Carlos is doing the action and Carlos is receiving the action.
