Changing meaning with pronouns
In Spanish, adding a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, etc.) to a verb doesn't always just mean doing the action to yourself. Often, it completely shifts the verb's definition.
Let's look at how this works in the high-stakes world of undercover operations, starting with jugar (to play) and jugarse (to risk or put on the line):
| The infiltrator plays chess, but today he is risking his life. | El infiltrado juega ajedrez, pero hoy se juega la vida. |
Aprovechar vs. aprovecharse de
Aprovechar means to make the most of something positive, like time or an opportunity. Add a pronoun and the preposition de, and aprovecharse de takes on a negative meaning—to take advantage of someone:
| We make the most of the time, but that agent takes advantage of people. | Nosotros aprovechamos el tiempo, pero ese agente se aprovecha de la gente. |
Negar vs. negarse a
Negar simply means to deny a fact or an accusation. By making it pronominal and adding the preposition a, negarse a means "to refuse to" do something:
| The spy denies the plan and refuses to collaborate. | El espía niega el plan y se niega a colaborar. |
Despedir vs. despedirse de
A boss can fire someone from a job (despedir), but an agent who leaves quietly might not say goodbye to anyone (despedirse de):
| Interestingly, the boss fires him and he does not say goodbye to anyone. | Curiosamente, el jefe lo despide y él no se despide de nadie. |
Pasar vs. pasarse
Pasar is a versatile verb meaning to pass, happen, or go (as in going unnoticed). But when a spy crosses the line or pushes things too far, the verb becomes pasarse:
| The spy goes unnoticed, but today he goes too far. | El espía pasa desapercibido, pero hoy se pasa. |