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0z\"\u002F>",true,{"id":46,"title":47,"author":48,"body":49,"cefrLevel":613,"date":48,"description":614,"exercises":615,"extension":705,"faqs":706,"gcseTier":716,"intro":717,"language":718,"lastUpdated":48,"meta":719,"navigation":44,"path":720,"seo":721,"stem":722,"verbSlugs":48,"__hash__":723},"pages\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpassive-se.md","The Passive se and the Impersonal se in Spanish (se venden casas, se habla español)",null,{"type":50,"value":51,"toc":601},"minimark",[52,57,79,84,90,137,140,144,151,206,236,240,270,302,320,324,330,357,360,384,387,391,411,432,441,445,496,500,515,531,544,561,568,572],[53,54,56],"h1",{"id":55},"the-passive-se-and-the-impersonal-se-in-spanish","The Passive se and the Impersonal se in Spanish",[58,59,60,61,66,67,71,72,74,75,78],"p",{},"The last page on the ",[62,63,65],"a",{"href":64},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpassive-with-ser","passive with ser"," ended with a warning: Spanish uses that construction far less than English, and most of the time it reaches for ",[68,69,70],"strong",{},"se"," instead. This is that ",[68,73,70],{},". It is one of the most useful little words in the language, and it hides two related constructions that learners blur all the time. Sort them out and you will sound far more natural than anyone leaning on ",[68,76,77],{},"ser fue",".",[80,81,83],"h2",{"id":82},"two-constructions-one-se","Two constructions, one se",[58,85,86,87,89],{},"Both put ",[68,88,70],{}," in front of a third-person verb and refuse to name who did the action. The difference is what the verb agrees with.",[91,92,93,114],"ul",{},[94,95,96,99,100,103,104,107,108,107,111,78],"li",{},[68,97,98],{},"Passive se"," (se pasiva): the thing acted on becomes the subject and ",[68,101,102],{},"controls the agreement",". ",[68,105,106],{},"Se vende casa",", ",[68,109,110],{},"se venden casas",[68,112,113],{},"se habla español",[94,115,116,119,120,123,124,127,128,107,131,107,134,78],{},[68,117,118],{},"Impersonal se"," (se impersonal): there is no such subject. The verb means a generic ",[68,121,122],{},"one, you, people"," and stays ",[68,125,126],{},"third-person singular"," whatever happens. ",[68,129,130],{},"Se dice que",[68,132,133],{},"se come bien aquí",[68,135,136],{},"aquí no se puede fumar",[58,138,139],{},"Keep that split in mind and the rest is detail.",[80,141,143],{"id":142},"the-passive-se-things-become-the-subject","The passive se: things become the subject",[58,145,146,147,150],{},"In the ",[68,148,149],{},"passive se",", the thing that gets acted on is promoted to subject, and the verb agrees with it just as a verb agrees with any subject. Singular thing, singular verb; plural thing, plural verb.",[91,152,153,162,171,184,193],{},[94,154,155,158,159,78],{},[68,156,157],{},"Se vende casa."," (A house is for sale.) - one house, ",[68,160,161],{},"vende",[94,163,164,167,168,78],{},[68,165,166],{},"Se venden casas."," (Houses are sold \u002F for sale.) - several houses, ",[68,169,170],{},"venden",[94,172,173,176,177,180,181,78],{},[68,174,175],{},"Se habla español."," (Spanish is spoken.) - ",[68,178,179],{},"español"," singular, ",[68,182,183],{},"habla",[94,185,186,189,190,78],{},[68,187,188],{},"Se hablan inglés y francés."," (English and French are spoken.) - two languages, ",[68,191,192],{},"hablan",[94,194,195,198,199,202,203,78],{},[68,196,197],{},"Se abren las puertas a las nueve."," (The doors are opened at nine.) - ",[68,200,201],{},"las puertas"," plural, ",[68,204,205],{},"abren",[58,207,208,209,212,213,216,217,220,221,224,225,228,229,232,233,235],{},"You never say who does the action - the houses simply ",[68,210,211],{},"get sold",", the doors simply ",[68,214,215],{},"get opened",". This is the construction on every Spanish shop window and small ad: ",[68,218,219],{},"se alquila"," (to let), ",[68,222,223],{},"se necesita"," (wanted), ",[68,226,227],{},"se prohíbe"," (forbidden), ",[68,230,231],{},"se ruega"," (please). Where English uses a passive or an empty \"we\", Spanish uses ",[68,234,70],{}," plus an agreeing verb.",[80,237,239],{"id":238},"the-impersonal-se-one-you-people","The impersonal se: one, you, people",[58,241,242,243,246,247,250,251,254,255,258,259,262,263,266,267,269],{},"The ",[68,244,245],{},"impersonal se"," has no thing-as-subject at all. It expresses a ",[68,248,249],{},"generic doer"," - the English ",[68,252,253],{},"one",", the vague ",[68,256,257],{},"you",", the empty ",[68,260,261],{},"they"," or ",[68,264,265],{},"people"," - and because there is no subject to agree with, the verb stays ",[68,268,126],{},", always.",[91,271,272,278,284,290,296],{},[94,273,274,277],{},[68,275,276],{},"Se dice que es difícil."," (They say it is hard. \u002F It is said to be hard.)",[94,279,280,283],{},[68,281,282],{},"Se come bien aquí."," (The food is good here. \u002F One eats well here.)",[94,285,286,289],{},[68,287,288],{},"Aquí no se puede fumar."," (You cannot smoke here.)",[94,291,292,295],{},[68,293,294],{},"Se vive bien en España."," (Life is good in Spain.)",[94,297,298,301],{},[68,299,300],{},"Se trabaja mucho en esta empresa."," (People work hard in this company.)",[58,303,304,305,308,309,312,313,308,316,319],{},"None of those has a plural thing controlling the verb, so it never moves off the singular. ",[68,306,307],{},"Se dice",", never ",[68,310,311],{},"se dicen",", when it means \"they say\". ",[68,314,315],{},"Se come bien",[68,317,318],{},"se comen bien",". The singular is the signature of the impersonal se.",[80,321,323],{"id":322},"telling-them-apart-follow-the-agreement","Telling them apart: follow the agreement",[58,325,326,327,78],{},"The two overlap enough to confuse, and the test that separates them is ",[68,328,329],{},"agreement",[91,331,332,345],{},[94,333,334,335,338,339,341,342,78],{},"If there is a ",[68,336,337],{},"plural thing"," that pulls the verb into the plural, it is the ",[68,340,149],{},": ",[68,343,344],{},"se venden casas, se abren las puertas, se hablan dos lenguas",[94,346,347,348,351,352,341,354,78],{},"If the verb ",[68,349,350],{},"stays singular no matter what follows",", it is the ",[68,353,245],{},[68,355,356],{},"se dice que, se come bien, se puede fumar, se vive bien",[58,358,359],{},"Compare the near-identical pair:",[91,361,362,375],{},[94,363,364,367,368,371,372,374],{},[68,365,366],{},"Se venden libros."," (Books are sold.) - ",[68,369,370],{},"libros"," is the subject, plural, so ",[68,373,170],{},". Passive se.",[94,376,377,380,381,383],{},[68,378,379],{},"Se vende bien aquí."," (One sells well here \u002F selling goes well here.) - no thing as subject, so singular ",[68,382,161],{},". Impersonal se.",[58,385,386],{},"When in doubt, look for a noun that could be the subject. If a plural one is forcing the verb plural, you are in the passive se. If nothing is, you are in the impersonal se.",[80,388,390],{"id":389},"why-both-beat-the-ser-passive","Why both beat the ser-passive",[58,392,393,394,396,397,399,400,403,404,407,408,410],{},"These two ",[68,395,70],{}," constructions are why the ",[62,398,65],{"href":64}," is so rare in everyday Spanish. The ser-passive is formal and really wants an agent named with ",[68,401,402],{},"por",". When there is ",[68,405,406],{},"nobody to name"," - and most of the time there is not - Spanish much prefers ",[68,409,70],{},":",[91,412,413,423],{},[94,414,415,418,419,422],{},[68,416,417],{},"La casa fue vendida."," (formal, ser-passive) becomes the everyday ",[68,420,421],{},"Se vendió la casa."," (passive se).",[94,424,425,428,429,431],{},[68,426,427],{},"El español es hablado aquí."," (heavy) becomes ",[68,430,175],{}," (natural).",[58,433,434,435,437,438,440],{},"So treat the ",[68,436,70],{}," constructions as the default and the ser-passive as the marked, formal exception. On a shop sign, in a notice, in a general statement, Spanish reaches for ",[68,439,70],{}," almost every time.",[80,442,444],{"id":443},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[91,446,447,455,461,470,479,488],{},[94,448,449,452,453,78],{},[68,450,451],{},"Se venden casas en este barrio."," (Houses are sold in this area.) - passive se, plural, ",[68,454,170],{},[94,456,457,460],{},[68,458,459],{},"Se habla español y se entiende inglés."," (Spanish is spoken and English is understood.) - passive se, both singular patients.",[94,462,463,466,467,78],{},[68,464,465],{},"Se dice que va a llover."," (They say it is going to rain.) - impersonal se, singular ",[68,468,469],{},"dice",[94,471,472,475,476,78],{},[68,473,474],{},"Aquí se come muy bien."," (The food here is very good.) - impersonal se, singular ",[68,477,478],{},"come",[94,480,481,484,485,78],{},[68,482,483],{},"No se puede entrar sin entrada."," (You cannot get in without a ticket.) - impersonal se, singular ",[68,486,487],{},"puede",[94,489,490,493,494,78],{},[68,491,492],{},"Se abren las puertas a las ocho."," (The doors open at eight.) - passive se, plural ",[68,495,205],{},[80,497,499],{"id":498},"common-mistakes-english-speakers-make","Common mistakes English speakers make",[58,501,502,505,506,509,510,341,512,514],{},[68,503,504],{},"Forgetting to make the passive se agree."," Writing ",[68,507,508],{},"se vende casas"," for several houses keeps the verb singular when the plural subject needs ",[68,511,170],{},[68,513,110],{},". If a plural thing is the subject, the verb goes plural.",[58,516,517,520,521,262,524,526,527,530],{},[68,518,519],{},"Making the impersonal se agree when it should not."," Producing ",[68,522,523],{},"se dicen que",[68,525,318],{}," drags the impersonal se into the plural. It never moves off the singular: ",[68,528,529],{},"se dice que, se come bien",". There is no plural subject, so there is no plural verb.",[58,532,533,536,537,539,540,543],{},[68,534,535],{},"Confusing the two and guessing the verb."," The fix is the agreement test. Look for a thing that could be the subject: if a plural one is there (",[68,538,110],{},"), agree with it; if nothing is (",[68,541,542],{},"se vive bien","), stay singular. Do not guess - check what, if anything, the verb has to agree with.",[58,545,546,549,550,553,554,557,558,560],{},[68,547,548],{},"Reaching for the ser-passive out of habit."," Translating \"houses are sold here\" as ",[68,551,552],{},"las casas son vendidas aquí"," is grammatical but stilted. Spanish says ",[68,555,556],{},"se venden casas aquí",". Default to ",[68,559,70],{},"; keep ser for formal prose and for when you are naming the agent with por.",[58,562,563,564,567],{},"Get the agreement split straight - plural thing pulls the passive se plural, nothing keeps the impersonal se singular - and these two cover most of the ground English hands to the passive, far more naturally than ",[68,565,566],{},"ser"," ever would.",[80,569,571],{"id":570},"see-also","See also",[91,573,574,580,587,594],{},[94,575,576,579],{},[62,577,578],{"href":64},"The passive with ser"," - the formal true passive these two se constructions replace, and when it is still the right choice.",[94,581,582,586],{},[62,583,585],{"href":584},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fser-vs-estar","ser vs estar"," - the distinction behind the ser-passive, and the contrast with the resultant-state estar.",[94,588,589,593],{},[62,590,592],{"href":591},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fobject-pronouns","Object pronouns"," - how se sits among the other clitic pronouns and where it lands in the sentence.",[94,595,242,596,600],{},[62,597,599],{"href":598},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," has the passive se and impersonal se patterns and the agreement test on one card.",{"title":602,"searchDepth":603,"depth":603,"links":604},"",2,[605,606,607,608,609,610,611,612],{"id":82,"depth":603,"text":83},{"id":142,"depth":603,"text":143},{"id":238,"depth":603,"text":239},{"id":322,"depth":603,"text":323},{"id":389,"depth":603,"text":390},{"id":443,"depth":603,"text":444},{"id":498,"depth":603,"text":499},{"id":570,"depth":603,"text":571},"B2","Spanish has two se constructions that dodge the heavy ser-passive. The passive se (se pasiva) puts things in the subject seat and makes the verb agree with them: se vende casa, se venden casas, se habla español. No agent is named. The impersonal se (se impersonal) means a generic one, you or people, and keeps the verb resolutely third-person singular: se dice que, se come bien aquí, aquí no se puede fumar. The two overlap, and the test is agreement: the passive se has a plural patient that pulls the verb into the plural, while the impersonal se never does. This page maps both, sets them side by side, and cross-links the true passive with ser.",[616,643,686],{"type":617,"instructions":618,"items":619},"fill-blank","Complete with the passive se, making the verb agree with the thing acted on (singular or plural).",[620,623,626,629,633,636,639],{"prompt":621,"answer":170,"hint":622},"Se ___ casas en esta calle. (vender)","plural patient, casas",{"prompt":624,"answer":183,"hint":625},"Se ___ inglés aquí. (hablar)","singular patient, inglés",{"prompt":627,"answer":205,"hint":628},"Se ___ las puertas a las nueve. (abrir)","plural patient, las puertas",{"prompt":630,"answer":631,"hint":632},"Se ___ un coche viejo. (buscar)","busca","singular patient, un coche",{"prompt":634,"answer":170,"hint":635},"Se ___ muchos libros en el mercado. (vender)","plural patient, muchos libros",{"prompt":637,"answer":192,"hint":638},"Se ___ inglés y francés. (hablar)","plural patient, inglés y francés",{"prompt":640,"answer":641,"hint":642},"Aquí se ___ buen pan. (hacer)","hace","singular patient, buen pan",{"type":644,"instructions":645,"items":646},"which-one","Choose the verb form: agree with the plural patient for the passive se, or stay singular for the impersonal se.",[647,652,658,664,670,676,681],{"prompt":648,"options":649,"answer":170,"hint":651},"Passive se, plural patient: se ___ casas.",[170,161,650],"vendían","casas is plural, the verb agrees",{"prompt":653,"options":654,"answer":469,"hint":657},"Impersonal se, no patient: se ___ que va a llover.",[469,655,656],"dicen","decía","no plural subject, stays singular",{"prompt":659,"options":660,"answer":478,"hint":663},"Impersonal se: aquí se ___ bien.",[478,661,662],"comen","comían","one eats well, always singular",{"prompt":665,"options":666,"answer":205,"hint":669},"Passive se, plural patient: se ___ las puertas a las nueve.",[205,667,668],"abre","abría","las puertas is plural",{"prompt":671,"options":672,"answer":487,"hint":675},"Impersonal se: aquí no se ___ entrar.",[487,673,674],"pueden","podía","you cannot enter, always singular",{"prompt":677,"options":678,"answer":183,"hint":680},"Passive se, singular patient: se ___ inglés.",[183,192,679],"hablaba","inglés is singular",{"prompt":682,"options":683,"answer":469,"hint":685},"Impersonal se: se ___ que es difícil.",[469,655,684],"diría","they say, impersonal, singular",{"type":687,"instructions":688,"items":689},"translate","Translate into Spanish, choosing the passive se (with agreement) or the impersonal se (singular).",[690,693,696,698,700,703],{"prompt":691,"answer":692},"Houses are sold here. (passive se)","Se venden casas aquí.",{"prompt":694,"answer":695},"English is spoken here. (passive se)","Se habla inglés aquí.",{"prompt":697,"answer":465},"They say it is going to rain. (impersonal se)",{"prompt":699,"answer":282},"The food is good here. (impersonal se)",{"prompt":701,"answer":702},"You cannot enter here. (impersonal se)","Aquí no se puede entrar.",{"prompt":704,"answer":197},"The doors are opened at nine. (passive se)","md",[707,710,713],{"q":708,"a":709},"What is the passive se in Spanish?","The passive se (se pasiva) is a way of expressing a passive idea without ser. You put se in front of a third-person verb, and the thing acted on becomes the grammatical subject, controlling the agreement: se vende casa (a house is sold \u002F for sale), se venden casas (houses are sold), se habla español (Spanish is spoken). No agent is named - you never say who is doing it. It is the construction Spanish reaches for in adverts, signs and notices where English would use a passive: se alquila, se necesita, se prohíbe.",{"q":711,"a":712},"What is the difference between the passive se and the impersonal se?","The passive se has a real subject - a thing - that the verb agrees with, so when that thing is plural the verb goes plural: se venden casas, se abren las puertas. The impersonal se (se impersonal) has no such subject; it means a generic one, you or people, and the verb stays resolutely third-person singular whatever follows: se dice que, se come bien aquí, aquí no se puede fumar. The quick test is agreement. If a plural noun pulls the verb into the plural, it is the passive se. If the verb stays singular no matter what, it is the impersonal se.",{"q":714,"a":715},"Why does Spanish prefer se to the passive with ser?","Because it is lighter and needs no agent. The ser-passive (la casa fue vendida) is formal and tends to appear only when you want to name who did it with por. When there is nobody to name, Spanish much prefers the passive se (se vendió la casa) or the impersonal se. They are everywhere in everyday Spanish - shop signs, notices, instructions, general statements - precisely where English would reach for a passive or for a vague they or you. See the passive with ser page for the construction these two replace.","higher","Spanish has a quietly brilliant way of dodging the passive, and it does the job with one small word: se. There are actually two related constructions hiding under that se, and learners blur them constantly. The passive se (se pasiva) takes the thing acted on and makes it the subject, with the verb agreeing with it: se vende casa for one, se venden casas for several. Nobody is said to have done it - the houses simply get sold. The impersonal se (se impersonal) is the generic one, you or people of English: se dice que es difícil (they say it is hard), se come bien aquí (the food is good here, literally one eats well here), aquí no se puede fumar (you cannot smoke here). This second se keeps the verb stubbornly third-person singular, whatever else is going on. The two overlap enough to be confused, and the clue that tells them apart is agreement: if there is a plural thing controlling the verb (se venden casas), it is the passive se; if the verb stays singular no matter what (se dice que), it is the impersonal se. This page maps both, sets them side by side and points back to the true passive with ser, which Spanish so often replaces with exactly these.","spanish",{},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpassive-se",{"title":47,"description":614},"spanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpassive-se","7sd8gCtAwnpM40R1FJD_FzLz2mm7Epm05T-15wdpRp0",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":726},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":728},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M20 20a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-7.9a2 2 0 0 1-1.69-.9L9.6 3.9A2 2 0 0 0 7.93 3H4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v13a2 2 0 0 0 2 2Zm-8-10v6\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m15 13l-3 3l-3-3\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>"]