More than a copula
complex predicates with estar and the clitic se
This paper aims to provide an analysis of the construction consisting of the
clitic se and the copula estar ‘beESTAR’ followed by an adjective (estarse + A) in
Spanish. Combining the clitic with the copula triggers two changes in ‘estar + A’
predicates: first, it modifies the eventive structure and, as a consequence, a
complex event is obtained that consists of an achievement followed by a result
state; and second, it modifies the thematic role of the subject entity from theme
to agent by increasing its degree of involvement in the event. This effect of the
clitic is not limited to the copula estar ‘beESTAR’, but rather there is a parallel in
other predicates with consumption verbs such as comer ‘to eat’ and movement
verbs such as salir ‘to leave’.
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