Ella se dedica a la medicina.

she

Breakdown of Ella se dedica a la medicina.

• la medicina: the medicine
• dedicarse: to work as; devote oneself to

Questions & Answers about Ella se dedica a la medicina.

What does se dedica a mean in this sentence?

Dedicarse a is a very common expression that means to devote oneself to, to work in, or to be engaged in a field or activity.

So Ella se dedica a la medicina means that she works in medicine or is devoted to the field of medicine.

In everyday English, you would usually not translate it word-for-word as she dedicates herself to medicine, even though that is the literal idea. A more natural translation is often:

• She works in medicine.
• She is in the medical field.
• She is dedicated to medicine.

Why is there a se in se dedica?

The verb here is dedicarse a, not just dedicar.

• dedicar algo a alguien / a algo = to dedicate something to someone/something

  • Ella dedica mucho tiempo a su trabajo. = She dedicates a lot of time to her work.

• dedicarse a algo = to devote oneself to something / to work in something

  • Ella se dedica a la medicina.

So the se is part of the reflexive/pronominal form of the verb. It shows that the subject is, in a sense, applying the action to herself: she devotes herself to medicine.

You cannot just remove se and keep the same meaning.