darse

Darse is a Spanish pronominal verb built from dar and used in a wide range of idiomatic expressions. It can convey actions performed on oneself, situating the subject as the recipient or actor in different senses, from bodily actions to attitudes or states.

Common uses include darse prisa, meaning to hurry oneself. Darse cuenta de expresses realization or awareness, as in me di cuenta de algo. Darse a, with the preposition a, means to devote oneself to a person, activity, or field, for example se dio a la música or se dio a la lectura. Darse con or darse contra describes encounters or collisions, such as me di con la puerta or me di contra la pared. Darse por vencido means to give up in a task or attempt. Darse a entender indicates trying to convey or imply something, as in se dio a entender que no estaba de acuerdo. Darse un gusto or darse el capricho refers to indulging oneself. Darse de alta or darse de baja means to enroll or unregister from a service or institution.

Darse cuenta de often appears with de to specify the content realized or noticed. Other combinations include dársele a alguien a hacer algo (to tend to do something) or darse a una actividad as a broader commitment. Some forms are more formal or regional, but many are widely used in everyday speech.

Grammatical notes: darse is a reflexive verb. Its conjugation follows the same patterns as dar, but with the corresponding reflexive pronouns: me doy, te das, se da, nos damos, os dais, se dan (present); di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron (preterite), among others. When used with prepositions, the reflexive pronoun remains the object, while the following phrase governs the preposition (de, a, por, etc.).