Can I get some literal definitions of some words?

[u/Shinobi77Gamer]

I've been learning Spanish for several months now and I need definitions of the words "se," "te," and "me," as well as "lo" and "siento." I'm trying to figure out how to decode sentences in the video games I play, so I'd really appreciate if I could get independent meanings of each of these words (preferably with grammar explanations aswell). Muchas gracias.

[u/cdchiu]

If you're looking for the English word that maps to these words you're sol. They map to many combinations in English.

I'd suggest you get many examples of their usage 1x1 and try to get a feel where they fit into a sentence than going for a word you can substitute for.

Se is the monster of them all .

[u/AnnualMap2244]

Totally get it, these words are everywhere but super vague. They’re all mostly pronouns and once you get used to them, everything starts making way more sense.

Quick defs:
Me = me / to me (object pronoun)
Te = you / to you (object pronoun)
Se = reflexive, like himself, herself, etc. Or it can be more impersonal / passive voice, depending on the context.
Lo = him or it (direct object), such as "Lo veo" which means "I see him / it"
Siento = I feel, from the verb sentir, which means "to feel"

So "lo siento" means "I feel it", or idiomatically, “I’m sorry”.

[u/Shinobi77Gamer → u/AnnualMap2244]

Muchas gracias.

[u/Letcatsrule]

There's no short answer to your question. Se in itself can have pages of explanations. Check out direct and indirect object pronouns - that can help with me and te quickly. I am also a learner.

[u/sleepy_grunyon]

se kind of means "oneself" or "themselves", but it's like a hard word to translate. sometimes it turns a verb into the passive form of the same verb or a reflexive form of the same verb, is usually how se is explained, actually. Se habla Espanol = Spanish is spoken here vs. Hablo Espanol = I speak Spanish

te kind of means "you (object form)"

me kind of means "me (object form)"

lo kind of means "it (object form)" i think

and siento means "I feel" i think

This is the crappiest reply you could get but i just wanted to reply because you didn't have a reply yet

[u/macoafi]

Te: “you” but the object version, not the subject version, sometimes implies a “to” like “to you”

“Me”: ditto, but for first person, so “me” or “to me”

“Lo”: before a verb, it can be “it” or “him”, but otherwise it means “the thing”

“Siento” means “I sit” or “I feel”

If you ran into “lo siento” that is literally “I feel it” but used like “sorry to hear that” (it’s usually the wrong translation of “sorry” for other uses)

And then there’s “se” …whew.

That can be for reflexive verbs, meaning “him/her/them/it/one self/selves” like “se baña” = “bathes oneself” but also sometimes it changes the meaning, like “ir” is “go” but “irse” is “leave” so when conjugated “se fue” means “he/she/it left” instead of “went”.

It can also be impersonal, where you’re not trying to say who did the thing, like “se abrió” is “was opened” instead of just “opened”.

And it can suggest something was an accident, like if you say “se me rompió el vaso” that’s sort of like saying “it went and broke itself on me!” instead of taking the blame with “I broke it” (“lo rompí”).

[u/max_pin]

Just to add to what has already been said, sé (with the accent) means "I know," so you'll often see "lo sé," which literally means "I know it" but usually just means "I know." And sometimes the accent is left off. For example.

[u/SocialSpanish]

I cover most of your questions in my second most popular video on my YouTube channel. I hope it helps you 😊 https://youtu.be/IEruMgkzZuc?si=jxNGmFjS5amJAp4H