Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Se me da bien ese juego con la pelota y siempre me divierte. - I am good at that game with the ball and it always entertains me.

The structure is idiomatic: it uses the verb darse with se and an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, etc.) to express natural ability or aptitude, not a literal act of “giving.”

What is the role of se in se me da bien?

Here se is part of a pronominal verb construction: dársele bien/mal a alguien.

You can think of darse bien/mal as a set expression meaning “to come easily”, “to go well/badly for someone,” or “to be a natural talent for someone.”
It’s not reflexive in the usual sense (you’re not doing something to yourself); se just turns dar into this special idiomatic form.

So:

Se me da bien el fútbol. → Football is something that comes easily to me / I’m good at football.
Se me da mal cocinar. → Cooking doesn’t come easily to me / I’m bad at cooking.

What does me mean in se me da bien? Why do we need it?

Me is the indirect object pronoun, meaning “to me”.

The pattern is:

Se + (indirect object pronoun) + da(n) + bien/mal + [thing/activity]

So:

Se me da bien → It goes well for me / I’m good at it.
Se te da bien → It goes well for you / You’re good at it.
Se le da bien → It goes well for him/her / He/She is good at it.

We need me because the sentence must say for whom the thing “goes well.” Without me, we would lose the information that it’s you who is good at it.

Why is it da and not doy or das in Se me da bien ese juego?

Da is the third person singular form of dar, and it agrees with the subject of the verb.

In Se me da bien ese juego, the grammatical subject is:

ese juego (that game) → third person singular.

So we use da.

If the subject were plural, the verb would be dan:

Se me dan bien esos juegos. → I’m good at those games.

It’s not doy or das because yo or tú are not the subject here; you are the indirect object (the person for whom it goes well).

How would the sentence change in the plural, e.g. “I’m good at those ball games”?

You’d change both the demonstrative and the verb to agree with the plural noun:

Se me dan bien esos juegos con la pelota y siempre me divierten.

Changes:

ese juego → esos juegos (singular → plural)
da → dan (verb agrees with plural juegos)
me divierte → me divierten (verb divertir now agrees with plural subject esos juegos)

What’s the difference between se me da bien and soy bueno en?

Both can mean “I’m good at”, but there’s a nuance:

Se me da bien ese juego.
- Slightly more idiomatic, more colloquial and natural in Spain.
- Emphasizes that it comes naturally or turns out well for you.
Soy bueno en ese juego.
- More direct: “I’m good at that game.”
- Slightly more neutral; can sound a bit more self-assertive (“I’m good (at it)” as a quality).

In everyday speech in Spain, se me da bien is very common and sounds modest and natural, often preferred when talking about abilities.

Can I change the word order and say Ese juego con la pelota se me da bien?

Yes. Both are correct:

Se me da bien ese juego con la pelota.
Ese juego con la pelota se me da bien.

The difference is mostly about emphasis:

Starting with Se me da bien focuses first on the idea of your ability.
Starting with Ese juego con la pelota focuses first on the game, then adds that it goes well for you.

In spoken Spanish, both orders are natural; context and intonation will decide which sounds better in a given moment.

Why is it ese juego and not eso juego?

Because ese here is a demonstrative adjective, and eso is a demonstrative pronoun.

Ese juego = that game (adjective + noun)
- ese agrees in gender and number with juego (masculine singular).
Eso = that (thing) (pronoun, replaces a noun)
- You would say eso es difícil (“that is difficult”), not eso juego.

So with a masculine singular noun like juego, you must use:

ese juego, not eso juego.

What does juego con la pelota mean exactly? Why con and not another preposition?

Juego con la pelota literally means:

“game with the ball” or “ball game”.

Here con means “with”, specifying the instrument/object involved in the game (you play with a ball).

You could also encounter:

juego de pelota → also “ball game,” slightly more generic or “of ball.”
juego con el balón → “game with the (foot)ball,” often used for football/soccer contexts.

Con is natural when you want to highlight what you are using in the game (a ball, cards, etc.).

Who is the subject of me divierte in …y siempre me divierte?

The subject is still ese juego con la pelota.

The structure is like:

Ese juego con la pelota siempre me divierte.
- ese juego con la pelota = subject (third person singular)
- divierte = verb (third person singular of divertir)
- me = direct object pronoun (“me”)

So me divierte means “it entertains me” / “I find it fun.”

The full sentence:

Se me da bien ese juego con la pelota y siempre me divierte.
- “I’m good at that ball game and it always entertains me.”

What is the difference between me divierte and me divierto?

Big difference:

Me divierte = “it entertains me” / “I find it fun.”
- Subject = something else (the game, the activity).
- Example: Ese juego me divierte. → That game entertains me.
Me divierto = “I have fun” / “I enjoy myself.”
- Subject = yo (I), and me is reflexive.
- Example: Con ese juego, me divierto. → With that game, I have fun.

In your sentence:

…y siempre me divierte. = “and it always entertains me.”
If you said …y siempre me divierto, it would mean “and I always have fun (when I play it),” which is also correct but subtly shifts the focus from the game being fun to you having fun.

Is se me da bien used everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world, or is it more from Spain?

It’s understood across the Spanish-speaking world, but:

In Spain, se me da bien is very common and sounds extremely natural.
In Latin America, people understand it, but in some regions they may more often say:
- Soy bueno para…
- Soy bueno en…
- Tengo facilidad para…
- Se me facilita… (in some countries)

So the expression is not exclusive to Spain, but it is especially typical and frequent there. Since you’re focusing on Spanish from Spain, se me da bien is an excellent phrase to use.

Could you also say Ese juego con la pelota es divertido para mí instead of siempre me divierte? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Ese juego con la pelota es divertido para mí.
- “That ball game is fun for me.”

Differences:

Me divierte → Focus on the action of the game entertaining you:
- “It entertains me.”
Es divertido para mí → Focus on the quality or characteristic of the game:
- “It is fun (from my point of view).”

Both are natural, but me divierte is more dynamic and idiomatic in everyday speech.