La bolsa equivocada

Top view of various fresh ripe vegetables inside of reticular handbag on desktop

Practicing DO and IDO with “little pronoun stories”.

[pronouns + conjugated verb] tell a little story:

  • who it lands on
  • who or what is involved
  • what the action is and who did it

La bolsa equivocada

Esta mañana fui al mercado a comprar fruta.

Elegí unas manzanas y unos mangos. La vendedora puso todo en una bolsa y me la dio.

  • me la dio
    me – who it lands on (me)
    la- what was in involved (the bag)
    dio – what the action is and who did it (she gave)

Me la llevé, pero cuando miré dentro, vi tomates, cebollas y chiles.

  • Me la llevé
    me – makes it my personal act; who it lands on
    la – who or what is involved (the bag)
    llevé – what the action is and who did it (I took )
  • Note: llevarse is not a reflexive verb. It’s a pronominal verb.

—Disculpe, creo que esta bolsa no es mía —le dije a la vendedora.

  • le dije
    le – to her
    dije – I said

—¡Ay, perdón! Se la di por error. Devuélvamela y le doy la suya.

  • Se la di / I gave it to you / se (usted, formal)
    se – to you (le turns to se)
    la – the bag
    di – who did what / I gave (the vendedora gave)
  • Devuélvamela
    Formal command that still includes all the elements, just in a different order
    devuélva – you return
    me – to me
    la – it (the bag)

Se la devolví, pero mi bolsa ya no estaba.

  • Se la devolví
    se – to her (le turns to se)
    la- it (the bag)
    devolví – I returned

—¿Dónde está la mía? —le pregunté.

  • le pregunté
    le – to her
    pregunté – I asked

La vendedora miró alrededor y señaló a un señor que se alejaba.

  • se alejaba
    se – to him
    alejaba – he (was) walking away

Pronominal verb alejarse:

  • alejar → move someone or something away
  • alejarse → move away

Pronominal verbs are a ‘personal act’

—¡Ese señor se la llevó!

  • se la llevó – that man took it.
    llevarse is pronominal – a personal act of doing the verb
    se – he
    la – the bag
    llevó – who did what; the man took it (away with him)

Ella corrió detrás de él y, un minuto después, regresó con mi bolsa.

—Aquí tiene. Se la traje.

  • Se la traje
    se – who it lands on, you (le turns to se)
    la- what it’s about (the bag)
    traje – who did what; I brought (the woman brought it)

—Muchas gracias —le dije—. Esta vez voy a mirar dentro antes de llevármela.

  • le dije
    le – to her / who it lands on
    dije – I said / who did what
  • llevármela
    llevar + me + la

    llevar → the action
    me → makes it my personal act of taking
    la → the bag being taken

llevarse → to take something with you
llevármela
llevar + me + la

antes de llevármela
→ before taking it with me

The infinitive stays unconjugated because it follows antes de.