Breakdown of La divisa è pulita, se la porta a casa.
essere
to be
la casa
house
pulito
clean
a
to / at
portare
to bring, to carry
se lo
it for himself/herself/themselves (se la, se li, se le)
la divisa
uniform
Questions & Answers about La divisa è pulita, se la porta a casa.
Why use se la porta instead of just la porta?
Using the reflexive pronoun si (which becomes se here) changes portare to portarsi. This adds a sense of personal involvement. While la porta simply means he takes it, se la porta emphasizes that he takes it with him or for himself.
Why does the pronoun si change to se in this sentence?
Whenever the reflexive pronoun si is placed directly before a direct object pronoun like lo, la, li, or le, it changes its vowel from i to e. Here, si plus la (referring to the uniform) combines to become se la.
What does the la in se la refer to?
Since se and porta are third-person, could this also mean she takes it home with her?
Yes, absolutely! The reflexive pronoun si (and its combined form se) is used for he, she, and the formal you. Without more context, se la porta a casa could equally mean she takes it home with her.
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