You already know the accidental se in the present and preterite: se me cayó el vaso — the glass fell (on me), removing my blame. But real conversation demands this construction in every tense. This page takes the accidental se through all the tenses and moods, showing how the pattern stays consistent even as the verb forms grow more complex.
The structure, reviewed
The accidental se follows a fixed pattern:
se + indirect object pronoun + verb (3rd person) + subject
| Element | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| se | Marks the event as accidental/involuntary | se |
| me / te / le / nos / les | The person affected (experiencer) | me |
| verb (3rd person) | Agrees with the subject (the thing) | cayó / cayeron |
| subject | The thing that undergoes the event | el vaso / los vasos |
The verb always conjugates in the third person (singular or plural) to agree with the thing, not the person. The person is only the indirect object — the one to whom the accident happens.
Common verbs in the accidental se construction
Before going through the tenses, here are the verbs most frequently used with accidental se:
| Verb | Meaning in accidental se | Example (preterite) |
|---|---|---|
| caerse | to drop / to fall | Se me cayó el teléfono |
| romperse | to break | Se le rompió la taza |
| olvidarse | to forget | Se nos olvidó la cita |
| perderse | to lose / to get lost | Se te perdieron las llaves |
| acabarse | to run out of | Se me acabó la paciencia |
| quemarse | to burn | Se le quemó la comida |
| mojarse | to get wet | Se nos mojaron los papeles |
| ensuciarse | to get dirty | Se me ensuciaron los pantalones |
| descomponerse | to break down (LatAm) | Se le descompuso el carro |
| escaparse | to slip away / to escape | Se me escapó el perro |
Tense by tense with caerse
Let us trace caerse through every tense to show how the accidental se pattern remains stable while only the verb form changes.
Present
Used for habitual accidents or things that tend to happen.
A mi abuela se le cae todo de las manos.
My grandmother drops everything.
Preterite
The most common tense for accidental se — reporting a specific past accident.
Se me cayó el vaso y se rompió.
I dropped the glass and it broke.
Se nos cayeron las bolsas en la calle.
We dropped the bags in the street.
Imperfect
Used for habitual past accidents or background descriptions.
Se me caían las cosas todo el tiempo cuando era chico.
I used to drop things all the time when I was a kid.
Se le caía el pelo a montones.
His hair was falling out in clumps.
The imperfect conveys that the dropping was repeated or ongoing, not a single event.
Present perfect
For accidents that have just happened or have relevance to the present moment.
Se me ha roto el teléfono.
My phone has broken (and it's still broken now).
Se nos han perdido las llaves del departamento.
We've lost the apartment keys.
Pluperfect
For accidents that had already happened before another past event.
Se le había olvidado la cita y no llegó.
He had forgotten the appointment and didn't show up.
Cuando llegué, ya se me habían mojado todos los papeles.
When I arrived, all my papers had already gotten wet.
Se nos había acabado el dinero antes de terminar el viaje.
We had run out of money before finishing the trip.
Future (ir a + infinitive)
For predicted or anticipated accidents. In Latin American Spanish, the periphrastic future (ir a + infinitive) is far more common than the simple future for this construction.
Se te va a romper si no tienes cuidado.
It's going to break on you if you're not careful.
Se nos va a acabar la gasolina.
We're going to run out of gas.
Se le van a perder esos papeles si los deja ahí.
He's going to lose those papers if he leaves them there.
Simple future
Less common with accidental se in everyday Latin American speech, but grammatically correct.
Conditional
For hypothetical accidents or softened predictions.
Se me caería si lo intentara cargar con una mano.
I'd drop it if I tried to carry it with one hand.
Se te olvidaría si no lo apuntaras.
You'd forget it if you didn't write it down.
Conditional perfect
For accidents that would have happened under different circumstances.
Se me habría caído si no me hubieras ayudado.
I would have dropped it if you hadn't helped me.
Se nos habría acabado la comida si no hubiéramos comprado más.
We would have run out of food if we hadn't bought more.
Se le habría olvidado todo si no se lo hubieras recordado.
He would have forgotten everything if you hadn't reminded him.
Present subjunctive
After triggers that require the subjunctive.
Espero que no se te caiga.
I hope you don't drop it.
No quiero que se me olvide la reunión.
I don't want to forget the meeting.
Imperfect subjunctive
In si-clauses and after past subjunctive triggers.
Si se te cayera el teléfono, se rompería la pantalla.
If you dropped the phone, the screen would break.
Tenía miedo de que se le perdieran los documentos.
She was afraid she'd lose the documents.
Pluperfect subjunctive
In Type 3 si-clauses — unreal past conditions.
Si no se te hubiera caído el teléfono, no tendríamos este problema.
If you hadn't dropped the phone, we wouldn't have this problem.
Si no se me hubiera olvidado, habría llegado a tiempo.
If I hadn't forgotten, I would have arrived on time.
Si no se le hubiera roto el carro, habría llegado a la entrevista.
If his car hadn't broken down, he would have made it to the interview.
Complete tense table: caerse with se me
| Tense | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Se me cae | I drop it (habitually) |
| Preterite | Se me cayó | I dropped it |
| Imperfect | Se me caía | I used to drop it |
| Present perfect | Se me ha caído | I've dropped it |
| Pluperfect | Se me había caído | I had dropped it |
| Future (ir a) | Se me va a caer | I'm going to drop it |
| Simple future | Se me caerá | I'll drop it |
| Conditional | Se me caería | I would drop it |
| Conditional perfect | Se me habría caído | I would have dropped it |
| Present subjunctive | Se me caiga | ...that I drop it |
| Imperfect subjunctive | Se me cayera | ...if I dropped it |
| Pluperfect subjunctive | Se me hubiera caído | ...if I had dropped it |
Mixing accidental se with other verbs across tenses
The pattern is the same for every verb. Only the verb form changes.
Se nos ha acabado el café — vamos a tener que comprar más.
We've run out of coffee — we're going to have to buy more.
Se le había descompuesto el carro, así que tuvo que tomar el bus.
Si no se te hubiera quemado la comida, habríamos cenado a tiempo.
If you hadn't burned the food, we would have had dinner on time.
Deliberate vs. accidental: the contrast across tenses
The power of accidental se is clearest when you compare it with the deliberate version in the same tense.
| Tense | Accidental (se me...) | Deliberate (yo...) |
|---|---|---|
| Preterite | Se me cayó el plato | Tiré el plato (I threw it) |
| Present perfect | Se me ha roto la silla | He roto la silla (I broke it) |
| Pluperfect | Se me había perdido el libro | Había perdido el libro (I lost it — neutral) |
| Conditional | Se me caería | Lo tiraría (I would throw it) |
Plural subjects
Remember that the verb agrees with the thing (the grammatical subject), not the person. When the thing is plural, the verb must be plural too.
Se me cayeron los platos.
I dropped the plates.
Se nos han perdido las llaves.
We've lost the keys.
Se le habían roto los lentes.
His glasses had broken.
A common error is keeping the verb singular when the subject is plural: se me cayó los platos is incorrect. The verb must match: se me cayeron los platos.
Summary
The accidental se construction works identically in every tense. The pattern se + me/te/le/nos/les + verb (3rd person) + subject never changes — only the verb form does. Master the pattern in the preterite first, then simply swap in the verb form for whatever tense you need.
For a broader look at all the uses of se, see Uses of Se. For the dative of interest (a related construction), see Dative of Interest.
Related Topics
- Uses of Se: Complete GuideB2 — The most confusing word in Spanish — all eight uses of 'se' explained with examples, comparison tables, and a decision tree
- Dative of Interest (Se me cayó)B2 — Indirect pronouns that indicate someone affected by an event, even accidentally
- Indirect Object Pronouns (Me, Te, Le, Nos, Les)A2 — The pronouns that indicate to whom or for whom the action is done
- Usage (Experience, Recent Past)A2 — When to reach for the present perfect — life experience, recent past, and the connection to the present moment.
- Pluperfect: Usage (Before Another Past Event)B1 — Understand when to use the Spanish pluperfect to describe actions that occurred before another past event.
- Usage: Hypothetical SituationsB1 — Use the conditional to talk about what would happen in imagined or unreal situations.
- Type 3: Contrary-to-Fact PastC1 — Use the pluperfect subjunctive with the conditional perfect to talk about past situations that didn't actually happen.