Doing Things "To Each Other" (Reciprocal "se")
You already know that the short pronoun se is used for reflexive actions (doing something to yourself). When used with a plural subject—like "we," "you," or "they"—se often expresses a reciprocal action, meaning two or more people are doing an action to each other.
| The brother and sister love each other very much. | Brat i sestra se puno vole. |
| We know each other well and respect each other. | Dobro se poznajemo i poštujemo. |
Keeping in Touch
This structure is incredibly common when talking about interacting, meeting, and staying in touch. Just conjugate the verb for a plural subject and add se.
| We will hear from each other tomorrow! | Čut ćemo se sutra! |
| Do you see each other often? | Viđate li se često? |
| We message each other often. | Često se dopisujemo. |
Ups and Downs in Relationships
Many verbs related to relationship dynamics naturally use se because they require two people interacting, like arguing (svađati se), hugging (grliti se), and making up (pomiriti se).
| Good friends never argue. | Dobri prijatelji se nikada ne svađaju. |
| They had an argument yesterday, but they reconciled today. | Jučer su se svađali, ali danas su se pomirili. |
Trust and Connection
When describing mutual efforts in friendships and romance, you will often use nouns like odnos (relationship), veza (connection or romantic relationship), and povjerenje (trust).
| Trust is important for a good relationship. | Povjerenje je važno za dobar odnos. |
| In a relationship, people are honest and understand each other. | U vezi su ljudi iskreni i razumiju se. |