Could you explain the structure of the first sentence pls? "Me teneis esto como una leonera" What is the use of "me" here?

JenkA2Kwiziq community member

Could you explain the structure of the first sentence pls? "Me teneis esto como una leonera" What is the use of "me" here?

Asked 4 years ago
InmaKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hola Jenk,

This "me" here in this sentence is what is called "dativo ético". We sometimes use indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les) to indicate who the action of the sentence is indirectly affecting somehow. "Me" here is saying who is being affected. So the comedian in the video is trying to make a joke about the state of the stage where she is, as it if was messy (como una leonera) and it somehow that affects her. 

Have a look at other sentences using the pronouns in the same way:

"Mi hijo pequeño no me come nada"
My little boy doesn't eat anything

The "me" here again is making a point about how this not eating is affecting the mum (the speaker). You could perfectly say the same sentence without "me", but with it, it will add that nuance to the meaning.

"¿Qué dices? ¿se te ha muerto tu gatito?
What are you saying? your kitten died?

Again, here, "te" reflects who is affected by what happened.

I hope this helps. 

Interesting stuff!

Un saludo

Inma

JenkA2Kwiziq community member

Hola Inma,This is a very interesting indeed! I'm amazed and want to practice it more.  Thank you so much for the explanation. It helps a lot. 

Could you explain the structure of the first sentence pls? "Me teneis esto como una leonera" What is the use of "me" here?

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