él se murio for he died, but ella nació
Why do you say él se murio for he died, but ella nació without the se for she was born? Dying is not something he does to himself (that would be matar). That does not make any sense to me. Did Paralee make a mistake in lesson 2.6? I don't think so, but I am hoping someone can explain.
6 Answers
This "SE" does not mean "to oneself", because it is not reflexive (not many "SE" in Spanish are).
"Morir" is more used in literary Spanish, and in general when the moment and the way in which the person died did not really matter or does not have to be detailed. It is descriptive and objective.
"Morirse" focuses on how the life to death change takes place or how it affects us. We either relate the death in a rather involved manner, or we use this pronominal form because the it was a slowly and progressive death. It is more emotional and subjective.
"Nacer" does not have a "nacerse" counterpart, possibly because it is not a change, but a beginning.
This "SE" does not mean "to oneself", because it is not reflexive (not many "SE" in Spanish are).
"Morir" is more used in literary Spanish, and in general when the moment and the way in which the person died did not really matter or does not have to be detailed. It is descriptive and objective.
"Morirse" focuses on how the life to death change takes place or how it affects us. We either relate the death in a rather involved manner, or we use this pronominal form because the it was a slowly and progressive death. It is more emotional and subjective.
"Nacer" does not have a "nacerse" counterpart, possibly because it is not a change, but a beginning.
What a beautiful explanation, Lazarus. I always love reading your grammar explanations because they are so thorough and many times include the emotional and romantic reasons for why Spanish is the way it is.
Como? Am I having a stroke or am I just naturally slow? Or maybe I haven't learned enough about the language. (It's actually a serious question. I'm not trying to make fun of anyone here.) I don't understand the answer.
As a new student to Spanis.Dict, I too had the confusion of nació vs. se murió. I think Lazarus'
An English learner could well ask a similar question about English:
I was born vs. I died
I was wondering the same thing, so I hope someone answers you soon!
