Please help me understand "se aflojó la corbata"
Hola!
I came across this example sentence on the page for the verb "aflojar":
"Se sentó y se aflojó la corbata" (He sat down and loosened his tie)
I understand the "se" in "se sentó" because it's like "he sat himself down".
But I don't understand the "se" in "se aflojó la corbata". Since the verb is aflojar and not aflojarse, I would have expected it to be "sentó la corbata", without the "se".
Please could someone help me understand why the "se" is used here?
Any help much appreciated!
Many thanks, Rangi
2 Answers
Aflojar in this usage is a transitive verb and used reflexively because the loosening of the tie directly affects the guy wearing it (he loosens it), so because se is used it actually becomes aflojarse. The se can be either part of the verb as in this case or separate with other wording, ie: Se sentó y empezó a aflojarse la corbata.
Boy, you are way up north! I'm a roteña, but living in the U.S. now. "Se aflojó" here means that he loosened his tie. It's a reflexive construction similar to:
Se lavó las manos. He washed himself the hands. which in common English would be "He washed his hands.
"Se (to or for himself) aflojó la corbata. He loosened himself the tie.
Por la mañana me lavo la cara y me cepillo los dientes. In the morning I wash myself the face and I brush myself the teeth. (I wash my face and brush my teeth.) That's the way you do it in Spanish. 
This type of construction is used to talk about putting on or taking off clothing, or doing just about anything to yourself, like washing your hair, clipping your toe nails, shaving your legs (for women--men don't shave themselves the legs. )
