The impersonal se: aquí se vive bien

The impersonal se: one, you, people

The impersonal se has no thing as its subject. It means a general one, you or people, and the verb stays singular:

It is se dice que, never se dicen que, for "they say".

Reflexive verbs take uno

A reflexive verb already has its own se, and Spanish never puts two se together. For a general "you" with a reflexive verb, use uno:

• Uno se acostumbra a todo. - You get used to anything.
• En verano uno se levanta más temprano. - In summer you get up earlier.

Telling them apart: follow the agreement

Look for a noun that could be the subject. If there is one, the verb agrees with it:

The near-pair shows it best:

• Aquí se comen muchas patatas. - A lot of potatoes are eaten here.
• Aquí se come bien. - The food is good here.

Many grammars, the RAE's among them, analyse se dice que and se puede fumar as a passive se whose subject is the whole clause. The verb is singular either way.

People after se: the personal a

A specific person after se takes the personal a, and a noun with a in front cannot be a subject. So the verb stays singular, even next to a plural noun:

• Se busca a los responsables. - The people responsible are being sought.
• Se ayudó a los vecinos. - The neighbours were helped.

In a small ad the people are not specific, there is no a, and the verb agrees:

• Se buscan camareros. - Waiters wanted.

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