why is se in google translate for this sentence?

Question

I am trying to make my own sentences using preterite for ir etc. I wrote "Ella fue a casa"but google is saying it should be "Ella se fue a casa". Why 'se'? is it like saying "she went home (to it)"?

Silvia Píriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Natalie a.
Both sentences are possible, but they have slightly different meanings.
"Ella fue a casa" simply means “She went home.”
"Ella se fue a casa" means “She left/went home”, with more emphasis on the action of leaving or departing.
The se here is not “to herself” or “to it”. It’s part of the pronominal verb irse, which often implies leaving a place or going away.
Compare:
Voy a casa = I go home / I am going home
Me voy a casa = I’m leaving and going home
So Google Translate tends to prefer se fue because in natural Spanish, irse is very commonly used when talking about someone leaving and going somewhere else.
Your original sentence, Ella fue a casa, is still grammatically correct. It just sounds a bit more neutral and less focused on the idea of departure.
Un saludo
Silvia