Breakdown of Es lógico que se te pudra la orquídea delicada.
ser
to be
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
te
to you / yourself (reflexive) / you (direct object)
lógico
logical
la orquídea
the orchid
pudrirse
to rot
delicado
delicate
Questions & Answers about Es lógico que se te pudra la orquídea delicada.
Why is te included in se te pudra if the orchid is the thing rotting?
This is the ethical dative (or dative of interest) taught in this lesson. The orchid is the subject doing the rotting, but adding te shows that this event affects you, the listener, either emotionally or practically. It is perfectly captured by the English phrase 'rots on you'.
Why do we use the subjunctive pudra here instead of the indicative?
The sentence starts with Es lógico que (It is logical that). This is an impersonal expression stating a subjective judgment or opinion, which automatically triggers the subjunctive mood for the verb in the dependent clause.
What does the se do in this sentence? Can I just say que te pudra?
You need the se. The verb pudrir by itself means to actively rot or decompose something else. By using the pronominal form pudrirse, it indicates that the orchid is decaying on its own as a spontaneous change of state. The ethical dative te is simply inserted between se and the verb.
Why is the subject la orquídea delicada at the end of the sentence?
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