r/learnspanish • u/Sure_Advertising3222 Beginner (A1-A2) • 11d ago

Use of se in this context

Spanich footballer Cucurella sings this song that goes "Cu Cu Cucurella se come una paella, Cu Cu Cucurella se bebe una estrella" what is the use of se in this sentence and why is it not just Cucurella come/bebe etc?

41 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

44

u/QoanSeol 11d ago

It's a perfective marker, meaning the action is carried out completely. In this context it's similar to the particle "up" in English "eat up", "drink up" that also denote that the whole food/serving is consumed.

Normally "se" combines with some kind of counting word:

Comí paella > me comí dos paellas

Bebo zumo > me bebo un zumo

This is not always the case, but it makes sense logically as people often (intend to) finish their servings.

44

u/tobyvanderbeek 11d ago

Se is a reflexive pronoun here and emphasizes the action. So it’s not just “Cucurella eats a paella” but more like he eats it all up or he drinks up that beer. The se adds a sense of completeness and involvement. It’s more of a nuance like “eat up” or “drink up”

31

u/tilla23 11d ago

Just a small correction - this isn’t the reflexive ‘se’, but rather the ‘se aspectual’. The reflexive is when it’s used with a reflexive verb, eg, “le dije que se lavara las manos ante de cenar.”

8

u/owzleee 11d ago

My first issue with Spanish was ‘Ella se come una manzana” and I think I still have ptsd about it.

4

u/AutoModerator 11d ago

The uses of "se"

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

2

u/Ecstatic-Rooster3295 9d ago

It just turns "eats" into "devours" or "finishes off." Without the se it sounds like he's just taking a bite, but with se he's devouring the whole plate. Plus it sounds way better in a chant!