Digerirse

Digerirse is the pronominal form of the Spanish verb digerir. It designates the process by which a substance, usually food, is broken down and assimilated by the digestive system. The non-reflexive form digerir is more common when referring to the body acting on a substance (for example, el cuerpo digiere la comida). The reflexive form digerirse exists but is far less frequent and is typically used to emphasize the subject undergoing digestion or, in a broader sense, to stress the personal processing of information or experiences.

Physiology and usage. In humans, digestion begins in the mouth with mechanical breakdown and saliva, continues in the stomach with acids and enzymes, and proceeds in the small intestine where enzymes from the pancreas and intestinal walls complete digestion and absorption. In everyday language, the passive or impersonal construction se digiere is common: la comida se digiere en el estómago. The verb digerir is therefore often preferred for explicit action, while digerirse (when used) tends to appear in more specialized or emphatic contexts.

Metaphorical use. Beyond the physical process, digerir is widely used metaphorically to mean “to process” or “to come to terms with” information, events, or experiences. Common expressions include digerir una noticia, digerir un golpe, or digerir tantos datos, signaling the effort required to internalize or accept what has happened or been learned.

Etymology and related forms. Digerirse derives from digerir, which comes from Latin digerere. Related terms include digerible (capable of being digested) and indigerible (hard or impossible to digest). The verb is conjugated irregularly in the present tense (yo digiero, tú digieres, él digiere, nosotros digerimos, vosotros digerís, ellos digieren) and reflexively (me digiero, te digieres, se digiere, …).