se + lle

Impersonal Se with Other Pronouns

Level 6

When impersonal se combines with another unstressed pronoun, se always comes first: Díxoselle que agardase (he was told to wait), Non se lle pode dicir nada (you cannot tell him anything).

How It Works

The rule

When unstressed pronouns meet, se is always first. After it come the solidarity dative, then the indirect object, then the direct object. With impersonal se or passive se, the most common partner is an indirect object pronoun:

  • Díxoselle que agardase. (He was told to wait.)
  • Enviáronselle os documentos. (The documents were sent to him.)
  • Aquí non se me escoita. (Nobody listens to me here.)

Placement

The pair moves as a unit. Normally it goes after the verb (díxoselle). After non, question words, subordinating words and adverbs like nunca, it goes before the verb (Non se lle pode dicir nada, Cando se lle pregunta...). Remember the written accent when the verb grows: dixo becomes díxoselle.

Se does not replace lle

In Spanish, le becomes se before lo (se lo dije). Galician does not do this: lle + o becomes llo. So se before another pronoun is always impersonal, passive, reflexive or part of a pronominal verb, never an indirect object. See mo, cho, llo.

With the solidarity che

The same order holds with the dative of solidarity: Aquí non se che pode aparcar (you just cannot park here).

Examples (6)

  1. Díxoselle que agardase.

    He was told to wait.

    Se comes first and lle second, both after the verb.

  2. Non se lle pode dicir nada.

    You cannot tell him anything.

    Non pulls both pronouns in front of the verb, still in the order se + lle.

  3. Enviáronselle os documentos onte.

    The documents were sent to her yesterday.

    Passive se with a plural verb, followed by lle.

  4. Aquí non se me escoita.

    Nobody listens to me here.

  5. Cando se lle pregunta, sempre di que si.

    Whenever he is asked, he always says yes.

    Cando places the pronouns before the verb.

  6. Aquí non se che pode aparcar.

    You just cannot park here.

    Se comes before the solidarity che.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting lle before se.

    Díxollese que agardase.
    Díxoselle que agardase.

    Se always comes before any other unstressed pronoun.

  • Using se in place of lle, as in Spanish se lo.

    Xa se o dixen.
    Xa llo dixen.

    Galician combines lle + o as llo. Se never stands for lle.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

se + lleLevel 6Impersonal Se with Other Pronouns

Learn This First

Se precedes other clitics and does not replace an indirect pronoun as Spanish se can.

Words in This Pattern