Breakdown of Viđate li se često?
li
question particle
često
often
sebe
oneself (stressed reflexive)
viđati
to see (regularly)
Questions & Answers about Viđate li se često?
Wait, I thought se meant oneself. How does it mean each other here?
You are right that se is usually a reflexive pronoun meaning oneself. But when used with plural subjects, like the you plural implied in viđate, it frequently takes on a reciprocal meaning: each other. The context here makes it clear you are asking if two or more people see each other, rather than if they see themselves in a mirror!
Why use viđate instead of vidite for the verb to see?
Viđati is an imperfective verb used for repeated or habitual actions. Because you are asking if they see each other često (often), you must use this repeated-action form. If you used vidite, it would sound like you are asking if they can see each other right now in this exact moment, rather than on a regular basis.
Why are both li and se right after the verb, and why in that specific order?
Both li and se are enclitics, which are little unstressed words that usually jump to the second position in a sentence. When you have more than one enclitic, they follow a strict grammatical order. The question particle li is first in the enclitic hierarchy, so it must always go before the pronoun se.
Where is the word for you in this sentence?