Ese “se” que enfatiza: comerse, saberse, creerse

Reflexive emphasis in Spain: when to use comerse/saberse/creerse; 3-item practice.

🇺🇸EnglishEN-US 🇷🇺РусскийRU

Dannis

2 min reading time

Colloquialisms and slang Driving and driving classes Verbs Idioms

Keywords:

comerse un atasco Me sé las señales No me lo creo beberse un café antes del examen

In Spain, the pronoun "se" is often used to intensify the meaning: *comerse, beberse, saberse, creerse*. It marks the idea of totality/involvement (reflexive verbs with "se"). Colloquial pattern: *comerse un marrón*.

COMERSE + noun (colloquial) = to “swallow/put up with” something unpleasant. E.g.: Me he comido un atasco. (Literally “I’ve eaten a traffic jam” = I got stuck in a traffic jam.) Similar pattern: comerse un marrón (“to get stuck with a problem / take the blame”).

SABERSE + noun = to know by heart. E.g.: Me sé las señales de tráfico (“I know the traffic signs by heart”). It’s reflexive: me/te/se...

CREERSE vs. CREER: me lo creo = I accept it as true (emphatic). No me lo creo = “I don’t believe it!” E.g.: Casi me lo creo.

BEBERSE + drink = to drink it all / to drink it quickly. E.g.: Antes del examen, me he bebido un café (I downed a coffee before the exam). Same intensifying pattern as comerse un marrón.

Pronouns: *Me voy a beber un café* / *Voy a bebérmelo.* Imperative: *¡Bébete el café!* In compound tenses: *Me lo he bebido.* Tip: use this pattern when the idea of “the whole thing” or your full involvement is important.

Comprehension check:

Completa: Hoy ____ un atasco de 40 minutos.

me he comido

he comido

me como

Correct: "me he comido". In colloquial Spanish the pattern *comerse + noun* means “to go through / to put up with” something unpleasant: *comerse un marrón*.

Remember: *comerse* reinforces the idea of “swallowing/putting up with” something (not food, but a situation).

Elige la mejor opción: Yo ___ las señales de tráfico.

me sé

sé

me creo

Saberse = to know by heart (reflexive). Here it implies “de memoria”: Me sé las señales. For a reminder on reflexive forms, see the material on reflexive pronouns.

Look for the form with *me*, because we’re talking about knowing something “by heart.”

—Han subido el alquiler.— ¡No ___!

me lo creo

lo sé

me lo bebo

Fixed expression: *No me lo creo* (= I don’t believe it). An example of *(casi) me lo creo* appears in the colloquial Spanish material.

An expression of disbelief formed with the verb *creer(se)* and the pronoun *lo*.}]}}}{