Spanish avoids the English passive
Where English says "Flats are sold here" or "It is said that...", Spanish normally uses se with an active verb. The true passive with ser exists but is mostly confined to journalism and formal writing.
Passive se
The thing affected stays as the grammatical subject, and the verb agrees with it.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Se vende un piso. — A flat for sale. | Se venden pisos. — Flats for sale. |
| Se busca camarero. | Se buscan camareros. |
| Se habla español. | Se hablan tres idiomas. |
| Aquí se repara el calzado. | Aquí se reparan zapatos. |
This is the structure on shop signs and notices. There is no mention of who does the action, and you cannot add one.
Impersonal se
With no specific subject at all, the verb stays singular. It corresponds to English "one", "you", "people" in general.
- Aquí se vive muy bien. — People live very well here.
- En España se cena muy tarde. — In Spain people have dinner very late.
- ¿Cómo se dice esto en español? — How do you say this in Spanish?
- No se puede fumar aquí. — You can't smoke here.
When the object is a specific person, a appears and the verb stays singular: Se ayudó a los vecinos.
Another everyday option
The third person plural with no subject does the same job, especially in speech.
- Dicen que va a subir el precio. — They say the price is going up.
- Me robaron el móvil. — My phone was stolen.
Ser and estar with participles
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ser + participle | the action itself, often with an agent | La ley fue aprobada por el parlamento. |
| estar + participle | the state that results | La tienda está cerrada. |
The participle agrees in both cases: Las cartas fueron enviadas. / Las ventanas están abiertas.
Compare: La puerta fue cerrada por el viento (someone or something closed it) and La puerta está cerrada (it is shut now).
Watch out as an English speaker
- Make the verb agree in the se-passive. The plural is the commonest error on this topic. ✗ Se vende pisos. / ✓ Se venden pisos.
- "It is said that" is not a ser passive. ✗ Es dicho que es rico. / ✓ Se dice que es rico.
- Don't translate every English passive with ser. Spanish has no passive of the indirect object. ✗ Fui dado un libro. / ✓ Me dieron un libro.
- "Is closed" can be either verb. A state takes estar: ✗ La tienda es cerrada los domingos (as a state) / ✓ La tienda está cerrada los domingos.
Example dialogue
¿Se puede pagar con tarjeta? — Can you pay by card?
Sí, aquí se aceptan todas. — Yes, we take all of them here.
Vi el cartel de fuera: se busca dependiente. — I saw the sign outside: shop assistant wanted.
Sí, se necesitan dos personas para el verano. — Yes, we need two people for the summer.
¿Y hasta cuándo está abierto el plazo? — And until when can people apply?