Breakdown of El camarero se lo sirve en el vaso.
en
in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)
lo
it / him (m)
el camarero
the waiter
se
to/for him, her, them (before another object pronoun)
servir
to serve
el vaso
the glass
Questions & Answers about El camarero se lo sirve en el vaso.
Why does the sentence use se lo instead of le lo for "it to him"?
In Spanish, you cannot put le or les right before lo, la, los, or las. It is hard to say and sounds like a tongue twister! Instead, the indirect object pronoun (le meaning "to him") changes to se. So, le lo sirve becomes se lo sirve.
Could se lo sirve mean something else besides "serves it to him"?
I thought se was used for reflexive verbs, like when someone does something to themselves. Is this the same se?
Why is the verb spelled sirve instead of serve?
The infinitive verb is servir (to serve), but it is a stem-changing verb. In the present tense, the e in the stem changes to an i for most forms, making it sirve for he, she, or it.
Learn El camarero se lo sirve en el vaso and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free