creativ3_username

[plucky swallow]

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[pulsar halo]

Hi! So these verbs are the pronominal verbs and they’re essentially verbs whose object pronouns are related to the subject in a way. « se » is what we call the reflexive pronoun and it reflects well the subject. For example, the « se » in « s’arrêter » means ‘to stop oneself’ like in the sentence « je me suis arrêté d’être stressé (I stopped myself from being stressed) ». Now, that « se » becomes « me » because the subject is « je » whereas « se » corresponds to « il/elle/on ». You can consult this page on personal pronouns, in particular the reflexive column, to find out more.

Now, why are some verbs pronominal and some aren’t? The real answer lies in the first article I sent you but I want to tease it out a little.
Well, sometimes verbs become pronominal when the direct object is the subject which is a necessity for some verbs. An example of this is the verb « promener » which is closer in meaning to ‘take [sb] around/for a walk’. Because « promener » needs a direct object, the verb becomes pronominal if you are taking a walk because you are taking yourself for a walk. Example: « je promène mon chien (I’m taking my dog for a walk) » but « je me promène (I am taking a walk [as in I’m the one walking without a dog or someone else]) ».
However, some verbs are pronominal because they’re pronominal. The go-to verb here is something like « se souvenir (de qqn/qqch) ». There’s no non-pronominal version of that, it’s just pronominal because it just is. Ex: « je me souviens de toi (I remember you) ». You can try and rationalise that as, ‘to be reminded (of someone/something) » but that might just apply for this one verb and not others.

[rustic jasper]

ohh i see i think i understand
so if the verb relates to the subject it needs the « se » but if it doesn’t then it’s not needed?

[pulsar halo]

It’s a lot more complicated than that because some verbs are pronominal-only and most verbs can have both pronominal and non-pronominal forms with sometimes different meanings

An example would be « appeler »: when used non-pronominally, it has the meaning ‘to call’ as in « je t’appelle (I’m calling you) » but when used pronominally it gets another set of meaning of introduction like « je m’appelle Bertie (I am Bertie/my name is Bertie [lit. I call myself Bertie]) »

[rustic jasper]

ohhh yes yes i see

[pulsar halo]

You can read through that first article I sent you to get an understanding of things but if you’re native of a language that don’t use pronominals it’s just something you have to get a feel for