Pronoun nuances: dative of interest, ello, sí / consigo, pronominal verbs

What it is

Four fine points of pronoun use separate a fluent speaker from an advanced learner: the se (or me, te, nos) that marks an action as complete and personal (Se comió la pizza entera); the formal neuter ello; the reflexive tonic forms sí and consigo; and the pronominal verbs whose meaning changes with se (ir / irse, acordar / acordarse).

How to form it

The pronoun of completion agrees with the subject, like any reflexive: me comí, te comiste, se comió, nos comimos, se comieron. sí is used after prepositions for the third person and usted: para sí, en sí, de por sí. With con it fuses into consigo, just like conmigo and contigo. ello works like eso but only in formal style: por ello, para ello, de ello, a pesar de ello.

When to use it

The se of completion

With verbs of consumption and learning (comer, beber, tomar, leer, aprender, saber, ver), the pronoun stresses that the action was carried out fully, often with a nuance of enjoyment or excess: Se comió la pizza entera en diez minutos. Me leí la novela en un fin de semana. Se sabe todas las capitales. It needs a delimited object: a definite article, a number or todo. With a bare noun, drop the pronoun: Comió pizza, not Se comió pizza.

The involved speaker

In conversation, an extra me or te shows that someone is personally affected: No me llores. Cómete la sopa, que se te enfría. No te me pongas nervioso. Recognise it; use it sparingly.

ello: the formal "it, this"

ello refers to a whole idea in formal writing and speeches: No tenía tiempo; por ello decidió cancelar el viaje. Ello implica cambios profundos. In conversation, use eso. It is never an everyday subject for a thing: Es caro, not Ello es caro.

sí and consigo

consigo means "with himself / herself / yourself (usted) / themselves": Habla consigo misma cuando está nerviosa. Lleve siempre el pasaporte consigo. Useful fixed phrases: en sí (in itself), de por sí (by nature), volver en sí (to come round), para sí (to oneself).

Verbs that change with se

Many verbs mean something different when pronominal: Acordaron una fecha (they agreed on a date) vs ¿Te acuerdas de ella? (do you remember her?). Learn them in pairs, with their prepositions: acordarse de, parecerse a, negarse a, fijarse en, ocuparse de.

• Me encontré con Ana en el mercado.I ran into Ana at the market.encontrarse con
• Se negó a firmar el contrato.She refused to sign the contract.negarse a
• ¡Qué le vamos a hacer!Oh well, what can we do!fixed le, no referent

Contrasts and traps

• No se with bare nouns. Comió pizza / Se comió la pizza.
• consigo is third person only. Lo traje conmigo (I), Lo trajo consigo (she).
• con sí does not exist. It is always consigo.
• ello is formal. In speech, eso.
• irse needs no destination. Me fui temprano de la fiesta (I left); Fui a la fiesta (I went).

If you speak Portuguese

consigo exists in Portuguese with the same meaning, and por isso in formal writing maps onto por ello. The completion se has no Portuguese marker (comeu a pizza inteira → se comió la pizza entera): add it in Spanish when the object is complete. The big trap is acordar: in Portuguese it means "wake up", in Spanish it means "agree", and acordarse de means "remember". Acordei às sete is Me desperté a las siete; lembro o nome dele is Me acuerdo de su nombre. Likewise ele parece com o pai is se parece a su padre, and fui embora is me fui.

Practise