Accidental se and Present Perfect

Question

Does using the accidental se structure require the use of the perfect tense [haber (conjugated to item forgotten)+ past participle "olvidado"] or can I use the preterite (indefinido) also?

For example:

Perfect -> Se me ha olvidado la toalla.

Preterite -> Se me olvidó la toalla.

Sounds weird, but just asking for clarification since I didn't see any discussion of specifically using the HABER + Olvidado structure.

Cheers!

Silvia Píriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Michael S.
Yes, you can use both tenses with the accidental se construction. The structure itself does not require the present perfect tense.
Both of these sentences are correct:

Se me ha olvidado la toalla. Se me olvidó la toalla.

The difference is simply the normal difference between the Spanish present perfect and preterite.
Using the present perfect (se me ha olvidado) makes the action feel connected to the present moment, similar to “I’ve forgotten the towel.” This use is especially common in Spain when talking about something recent or still relevant now.
Using the preterite (se me olvidó) presents the action as a completed past event: “I forgot the towel.” This is extremely common in Latin America and is also perfectly natural in Spain in many contexts.
So the accidental se structure can be used with different tenses depending on the timeframe you want to express.
For example:

Se me olvidan los nombres fácilmente. Se me olvidó la cartera ayer. Se me había olvidado llamarte.

The important point is that the tense choice depends on the context and regional usage, not on the accidental se construction itself.
Hasta pronto
Silvia