In a thread about grammar (Effective way of studying or viewing Grammar) ftornay says “me he comido el pollo” is not the same as "he comido el pollo”. I’d like to know the difference: who can explain this?
Me he comido el pollo.
He comido el pollo.
What I can say to you as a native speaker is that I do not perceive any difference in meaning between those two sentences, and that they could be used completely interchangeably in dayly life.
2 Likes
To me
“Me he comido el pollo” sounds like there is some other food for you or for other people.
1 Like
I don’t see a real difference, but in some context could be more likely to use one or the other. For example is someone asks "Quien se comió el pollo que había en el frigorífico? you can answer. “fui yo que me he comido el pollo”
If someone ask you “¿que has comido esta mañana?” you can answer “he comido el pollo, algo de ensalada y una manzana”
1 Like
It’s subtle but there’s a difference
a) “He comido el pollo” sounds weird in most contexts. Both “Me he comido el pollo” and “He comido pollo” sound ok
b) However, there’s a difference in the contexts in which it would sound natural to us one or the other (as +josevicentesoy explained). First “Me he comido el pollo” implies that you ate all the chicken there was, vs “he comido pollo”, which implies you only ate part or you ate chicken in general vs. another food (that’s the sense of th example by +josevicentesoy). In this sense “comerlo” is closer to English “eat up” than to plain “eat”.
c) Besides, “Me he comido el pollo” sounds stronger and more idiomatic. This is one of the uses of the (dare I say the word?) “middle voice”: intensifying the sentence. If you want to urge someone to eat (a child for example) you would say “¡Cómetelo!” and, faling that, “¡Que te lo comas!”. Same thing with “beber”. “Cómelo/Bébelo” sounds way weaker.
As a clearer example (that I also mentioned): if a child sees a toy on the TV that s/he likes and it’s not long before Chrismas, s/he would say " me lo pido". “Lo pido” in this context would sound weak and detached, as if the child really doesn’t care o asks
only as a matter of course.
When children in Spain play and take turns. They often say “Me pido prime”, “me pido segun”, …
That means that they want to take the first (“prime” is short for “primero/a”, etc.) or second turn, and so on
“Pido prime” is something they just wouldn’t say and it wouldn’t be understood in the same way if they did.
Another example. If you don’t like a place that you’ve gone to (say, a party) you may say “Como eso sea así, cojo/agarro y me vengo” or “me vuelvo” (depending on where you are. You don’t say “cojo y vengo” in this context, it would completely lack the implication of warning or threat.
There are many more of those examples, in which the reflexive pronouns add a touch of strength and vehemence
<<<First “Me he comido el pollo” implies that you ate all the chicken there was, vs “he comido pollo”, which implies you only ate part or you ate chicken in general vs. another food (that’s the sense of th example by +josevicentesoy). In this sense “comerlo” is closer to English “eat up” than to plain “eat”.>>>
This was how I first learned it in my textbook from college, except it was bread, rather than chicken.
“to eat up” was the difference, implying that the person devoured the bread because they were so hungry (more emphatic to their eating) or they they exhausted all the bread that was around. In other words, there was an empty plate or an empty bread box.
So there are two differences: pollo - el pollo and comer - comerse
He comido pollo - he comido el pollo
Me he comido pollo - me he comido el pollo
I don’t think the opposition pollo - el pollo is the problem: it boils down to the function of the definite article.
For non native speakers of Spanish the use of the reflexive forms of the verb other than cases like ducharse or lavarse can be a problem.
La frase “me he comido pollo” a solas, a mí no me suena bien. Yo dicha así no la utilizaría nunca, y tampoco la he oido.
Le tienes que añadir algo más, p.e. me he comido pollo en mal estado, en este caso es totalmente correcta, aunque quizás yo seguramente utilizaría , he comido pollo en mal estado.
1 Like
Yes, I agree with +Xavimo. In most cases you either say
Me he comido el pollo
or
He comido pollo
Other combinations sound strange in most contexts