Spanish · Chapter 24 · Lesson 14 · Grammar primer
The passive se and the impersonal se
se venden casas (the verb agrees with the patient) vs se dice que... and aquí se come bien (always third-person singular) - the two se-constructions Spanish reaches for instead of the ser-passive.
The short version
Follow the agreement to tell the two se apart
Two constructions hide under the same little word, and agreement separates them. If a plural thing is pulling the verb into the plural, it is the passive se: se venden casas, se abren las puertas. If nothing is, the impersonal se stays stubbornly third-person singular: se dice que, se come bien aquí. Never se dicen que.
Se venden casas.
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