Accidental se: se me olvidó
B2Grammar path · Lesson 76 of 86 · Stage B2 · Advanced sentences
When you accidentally forget, drop, break or lose something, Spanish speakers often avoid saying 'I forgot' and instead say 'it got forgotten on me', which sounds softer and less like a confession. The pattern is se + me/te/le/nos/les + verb, and the verb agrees with the thing, not the person: se me olvidó la llave, but se me olvidaron las llaves. The person affected appears as an indirect object pronoun me, te, le..., optionally clarified with a + person. Do not confuse it with impersonal se as in se habla español: that one has no me/te/le in the middle and refers to people in general.
Practise this lesson · 10 sentences
Form
se + me/te/le/nos/les + verbo (3.ª persona) + cosano + se + me/te/le/nos/les + verbo + cosa¿se + me/te/le/nos/les + verbo + cosa?a + persona + se + le/les + verbo + cosaWhen to use it
Forgetting something
Used with olvidar to say you forgot something, presenting it as a slip rather than a choice. It can be followed by a noun or an infinitive.
Dropping or breaking things
Used with caer, romper or quebrar to report small accidents with objects. The verb agrees with the object that fell or broke.
Losing or running out of something
Used with perder, acabar or terminar when something goes missing or runs out without anyone intending it. Very common in everyday life.
Se + indirect pronoun (the person affected) + verb
Signal words
Don't confuse it with
Frequently asked questions
Why is it se me olvidaron and not se me olvidó?
The verb agrees with the thing forgotten, not with the person. Las llaves is plural, so you use olvidaron; with la llave you use olvidó.
What is the difference between olvidé and se me olvidó?
Both are correct, but se me olvidó stresses that it was unintentional and sounds softer. In everyday Latin American speech, se me olvidó is more common.
Is the correct order se me or me se?
Se always comes first: se me, se te, se le. Me se is incorrect, even if you sometimes hear it in casual speech.
When do I need to add a + person like a Juan?
When you use le or les and it is not clear who is meant, add a + person: A Juan se le cayó el vaso. With me and te it is usually unnecessary.
Which verbs are common with accidental se?
The most common are olvidar, caer, romper, perder, acabar and quedar, as in se me quedó el libro en casa.