Breakdown of El contador se lo abonó a su saldo.
su
his/her/its/their/your (formal)
a
to
lo
it / him (direct object)
se
to him / to her / to them / to you (formal)
el contador
accountant
el saldo
balance (financial)
abonar
to pay/to credit
Questions & Answers about El contador se lo abonó a su saldo.
Why does se mean "to you" here instead of being a reflexive pronoun?
In this sentence, se is an indirect object pronoun replacing le (to you, formal). Whenever an indirect pronoun (le or les) is followed immediately by a direct object pronoun starting with 'l' (like lo), it changes to se to avoid the clunky sound of "le lo". We know it means "to you" here because the translation says "your balance" (su saldo).
What is the difference between abonar and pagar in this context?
If se already shows who is affected, why do we add a su saldo?
The pronoun se (replacing le) indicates who receives the benefit of the credit (you), while a su saldo explicitly states where the money was applied. Spanish frequently uses an indirect object pronoun alongside a prepositional phrase that clarifies or specifies the exact destination.
Without the English translation, could this sentence mean "credited it to his balance"?
Yes, absolutely! Because se (as a replacement for le or les) and su can refer to him, her, it, you (formal), or them, this sentence is ambiguous on its own. It could mean "credited it to his balance," "to her balance," or "to their balance." You would rely on the surrounding context to know exactly who the accountant is helping.
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