Both mean "to worry" yet I've been told that they have a slightly different meaning that is imposed on them due to how they are used differently.
I am not sure I follow.
Take a look at the two examples below:
- Mi jefe es una buena persona, ____ preocupa por todos sus emplados
- Vicente dice que él no ____ preocupa el futuro porque tiene bastante dinero para vivir sin trabajar.
Which pronouns do I use in these examples, le or se?
If it is being used transitively with a subject expressed and an object also expressed as in "The economic crisis worries young people" then you do not need se. It is is being used as a pronominal verb, typically "I am worried about the economic crisis" then you do need se (well me in that example). One phrase you will often hear when you apologised for something minor is No se preocupe or No te preocupes which mean "Don't worry".
Preocupar
transitive. To occupy before or in advance something.
transitive. Prevent someone in the acquisition of something.
transitive. Said of something that has happened or is going to happen: Produce restlessness, fear, anguish or restlessness. U.t. c. prnl.
transitive. Said of one thing: To interest someone in such a way that it is difficult for them to admit or think about other things.
pronominal. Being interested or infatuated for or against a person, an opinion or something else.
Echa un vistazo a los dos ejemplos a continuación:
Take a look at the two examples below:
Mi jefe es una buena persona, se preocupa por todos sus empleados.
Vicente dice que (a) él no le preocupa el futuro porque tiene bastante dinero para vivir sin trabajar.
¿Qué pronombres uso en estos ejemplos, le o se?
The second sentence is confusing, because it is poorly constructed and can lead to misunderstandings, in the sentence above the preposition "a" is missing, (Vicente dice que (a) él no...), in the same sentence below the preposition (por) is missing, (Vicente dice que él no se preocupa (por) el futuro), since it is also possible to construct it in the following way .
Vicente dice que él no se preocupa (por) el futuro porque tiene bastante dinero para vivir sin trabajar.
Preocupar(se).
- When it means 'causing fear or concern', because it is a verb of "psychic affection", depending on different factors (→ leísmo, 4a), the person complement can be interpreted as direct or indirect...
- As an intransitive pronominal, it means 'fearing or worrying about someone or something' and 'paying attention to someone or something'. It is usually constructed with by or from: «Esta vez no se preocuparía por mi salud»...
Diccionario panhispánico de dudas
https://www.rae.es/dpd/preocupar
In the South American countries (Cono Sur: "Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay"), transitive use is normal (leismo 4a; verbs of psychic condition "asustar, afectar, asombrar, convencer, impresionar, molestar, ofender, perjudicar, preocupar...).
Mi jefe es una buena persona, se preocupa por todos sus emplados. My boss is a good person, he cares about all his employees. For it to mean he cares about, you use the se as it is a reflexive verb.
I would not use worry here. It's more concern than worry. You can feel this if you think about the passive in English: He is concerned about his employees.
Vicente dice que a él no le preocupa el futuro porque tiene bastante dinero para vivir sin trabajar.
Vicente says that the future does not worry him as he has enough money to live without working.
preocuparse is not just worry. It's also to care about someone or something.
Me preocupo de ti. I care about or worry about you. Pero: Algo me preocupa. Something is worrying me. In the third person, that becomes: Algo le preocupa: Something is bothering him.
