Ponerse or Poner

Question

I try to avoid asking questions regarding reflexive verbs. There is so much info out there, and I understand, I think, the basics. But I cannot get past this stumbling block. Sometimes it just doesn't seem necessary to use a reflexive but there it is anyway. Here: "Luego con un gotero se la ponemos así." [Later with a dropper we place it (the drop, la gota) like this.] Well, to mean "to place" is not reflexive (ponerse). Why couldn't I simply say, "Luego con un gotero la ponemos así"? The notion of a drop placing itself I understand, but here we are placing a drop, which isn't a reflexive action, is it?

Answer 1

Sometimes it just doesn't seem necessary to use a reflexive but there it is anyway.

Rolly:

First of all, it is more accurate to refer to verbs such as ponerse as pronominal, not reflexive. There are several ways in which pronominal verbs are used, and only one of these ways is reflexive.

For example:

Me comí todo la pizza.

I ate the whole pizza. I gobbled it up!

There is nothing reflexive about this. This is one of several ways that pronominal verbs can be used which have nothing to do with reflexivity. In this case comerse is used to emphasize the totality of the action. In some other cases pronominal verbs are reciprocal. In other cases they simply change the meaning of the verbs...either greatly or just a bit.

Secondly, just because you see "se" with a verb, don't assume that you are dealing with a pronominal verb. There are several other uses of "se." "Se" can be an indirect object or you might be dealing with "impersonal se" or "passive se."

Luego con un gotero se la ponemos así.

In this sentence, without additional context, I can't be sure, but in the above usage the "se" could be an indirect object...the thing or person to which/whom the drop is being placed.

Luego con un gotero se la ponemos así a la herida.

Then with a drip, we place it on the injury.

(al bebé) (on the baby, etc.)

If, from the prior context, we already know that we are talking about an injury or a baby it is not necessary to write "a la herida" or "al bebé." We are simply saying we are placing it (the drop) on it/him/her.

Gracias! Your answer was quite complete. I think here the "se" is actually an indirect object, referring to the paper to which the drop is placed. So, "Later with a dropper to it [the paper] we place it [the drop] like this." - RolloMartins, May 29, 2017

Answer 2

Ponemos la gota.
La ponemos.

Ponemos la gota a Juan (or Juana).
Se la ponemos.

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Se means a Juan or Juana (him or her)

We never say Le la ponemos. We say Se la ponemos .

The verb is not reflexive here.