how do I change the position of a reflective pronouns so that the clause keeps its senses.?
Example: Ellos vienen a despedirse esta noche.
I'll send this to our Spanish expert, SraJMcGin.
There are 2 positions with gerunds (-ndo) and infinitives. You may either put the pronouns (direct, indirect, reflexive) in front of the conjugated verb OR attached to the -ndo + an accent mark or infinitive. You do not get BOTH choices; only ONE of the 2.
Example:
Ellos vienen a despedirse esta noche.
OR
Ellos se vienen a despedir esta noche.
If you need more examples, or further explanation, ask questions here. I'll flag this so I can come back later and check.
Sra
To change the position of a reflexive pronoun while keeping the meaning of the clause intact, follow these steps:
1. Identify the reflexive pronoun in the sentence. In the example sentence "Ellos vienen a despedirse esta noche," the reflexive pronoun is "se."
2. Determine the intended new position of the reflexive pronoun. For example, if you want to move the reflexive pronoun to the beginning of the clause, you can say "Se vienen a despedir esta noche ellos."
3. Be mindful of the grammatical rules that apply to the new position of the reflexive pronoun. In Spanish, when the reflexive pronoun precedes the conjugated verb, it must match the subject in both person and number. In this case, "Ellos" is the subject, so the reflexive pronoun "se" should change to "se despiden" to match the third-person plural subject.
4. Construct the revised sentence, making sure the reflexive pronoun is properly conjugated and placed in the desired position. In this case, the revised sentence would read: "Se vienen a despedir esta noche ellos."
By following these steps, you can change the position of a reflexive pronoun while preserving the meaning of the clause. Remember to adjust the pronoun's form to match the subject when needed.