Mi sobrina se ríe cuando el pato picotea sus zapatos.

my

Breakdown of Mi sobrina se ríe cuando el pato picotea sus zapatos.

• cuando: when
• reírse: to laugh
• la sobrina: the niece

Questions & Answers about Mi sobrina se ríe cuando el pato picotea sus zapatos.

Why is it se ríe and not just ríe?

In modern Spanish, reírse is the most common way to say to laugh.

• Mi sobrina se ríe = My niece laughs / is laughing
• Reír without se does exist, but learners will much more often hear reírse for the general idea of laughing.

So in this sentence, se is part of the verb expression, not a separate word with a literal meaning like herself.

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Why doesn’t the sentence say se ríe de?

Because reírse de means to laugh at someone or something, while reírse on its own just means to laugh.

Compare:

• Mi sobrina se ríe. = My niece laughs.
• Mi sobrina se ríe del pato. = My niece laughs at the duck.

In your sentence, the niece is simply laughing when something happens, so de is not needed.

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Why is it mi sobrina and not la sobrina mía?