The Passive Se and Impersonal Se in Spanish

By Annabel Beilby Published: August 7, 2019

8 min read

Let’s talk about the passive se and impersonal se! Both are super useful ways of avoiding the traditional passive. Click here to learn more.

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1. Passive se (‘pasiva con se/pasiva refleja)2. Se + transitive verb + personal a (‘se’ + verbo transitivo + ‘a’ personal)3. Impersonal se (‘se’ impersonal)To sum up…Quiz

Se is used in lots of different scenarios in Spanish; for example, we see it in reflexive verbs.

In this lesson, we’ll show you passive se and two patterns of impersonal se: Passive se, se + transitive verb + personal a, and impersonal se.

Let’s get started!

You may have heard people talk about the passive voice. It’s pretty much the opposite of the active voice. We use the passive when we want to focus on what’s being done, rather than who’s doing it.

In passive constructions, the object of a verb (the thing that’s having something done to it) becomes the subject (the main focus of the sentence). The formula is:

Subject + conjugated ser + past participle (agreeing with the subject in gender and number)

For example, in the following sentences, the ball (la pelota) and the documents (los documentos) go from being the object to being the subject.

Tiro la pelota.I throw the ball. (The ball is the object.)
La pelota es tirada.The ball is thrown. (The ball is the subject. The person throwing it doesn’t matter too much.)
Carmen firmó los documentos.Carmen signed the documents. (The documents are the object.)
Los documentos fueron firmados.The documents were signed. (The documents are the subject. Carmen doesn’t matter too much.)

We now have the option to say who did it, using the word por:

Los documentos fueron firmados por Carmen.

But that’s totally optional—the documents are more important than Carmen in this passive sentence.

BEWARE: overuse of this construction can seem unnatural to native speakers, so sometimes you’ll need to avoid it. That’s where this article comes in…

1. Passive se (‘pasiva con se/pasiva refleja)

The first method is the passive se.

Here are the rules for using the passive se:

It’s used with transitive verbs*.
It’s used only in the third person, either singular or plural. Remember to make the verb agree with the noun!
The subject usually refers to a thing, but it can also refer to unspecified people: Se buscan actores (Actors are wanted).
We don’t say who’s performing the action. It’s more important WHAT is happening than WHO is doing it.

*A transitive verb is a verb that can take a direct object, i.e. something that the verb acts upon. For example, I fed the cat; I watch TV; I love my wife. An intransitive verb is a verb that does not take a direct object, e.g. I lied, I swim, I skate.

Se alquila piso.An apartment is for rent.
Se alquilan pisos.Apartments are for rent.
Aquí se habla español.Here Spanish is spoken.
Aquí se hablan varios idiomas.Here various languages are spoken.
Se debatió el problema.The problem was debated.
Se debatieron varios problemas.Various problems were debated.
¿Aquí se reparan coches?Are cars repaired here? (Do you repair cars here?)
¡Oye, eso no se hace!*Hey, that is not done! (Hey, don’t do that!)

*This kind of exclamation is common in parents scolding their children!

2. Se + transitive verb + personal a (‘se’ + verbo transitivo + ‘a’ personal)

Sometimes, with transitive verbs, things can get confusing. If we tried to use the passive se before a living thing, people might mistakenly think we were using a reflexive se or a reciprocal se. For example:

Se tratan bien los pobres.Poor people treat themselves well. (Reflexive se.)
Poor people treat each other well. (Reciprocal se.)
Poor people are treated well. (Passive se!)

To avoid this ambiguity, we can use an impersonal se construction with the personal a. We use the word se, followed by a transitive verb in the third-person singular form, then add the personal a and the person(s) having the action done to them:

Se trata bien a los pobres.Poor people are treated well. (Impersonal se with personal a, rather than reflexive or reciprocal se.)

This construction is similar to the passive se, and has pretty much the same meaning. The difference is that the verb is followed by the personal a, the object is a human (or animal), and the verb is always singular. It’s similar to the impersonal se (see below) in that we don’t know/care who’s doing the action. Here are the rules:

It’s used with transitive verbs followed by the personal a.
It’s used only in the third-person singular, NOT plural.
It’s only human (or animal) objects being acted upon.
It’s a human who performs the action, but we don’t say who. It’s more important WHAT is happening than WHO is doing it.

For instance:

Se busca a los culpables.The people responsible are being searched for.
Se arrestó a dos ladrones.Two thieves were arrested.
Se admira a Juan.Juan is admired.
Se llama a los perros con un silbido.Dogs are called by whistling.
Se vio a muchos bomberos durante el fuego.Many firefighters were seen during the fire.

3. Impersonal se (‘se’ impersonal)

The impersonal se is used to outline things that people in general do. Here’s more detail:

It can be used with a transitive verb, but missing out the direct object.
It can be used with an intransitive verb.
It can be used with a copulative verb. A copulative verb is a special type of verb. Two of the main ones are ser (to be) and estar (to be).
It’s only used with the third-person singular, NOT plural.
There’s no specified noun that’s doing the action. It means ‘one’ or ‘you’ or ‘people in general.’ That’s what makes it impersonal!

En los Estados Unidos se come mucho.	In the United States, one eats a lot. (No need to include a direct object, i.e. a named food.)
Se critica demasiado.	People criticize too much. (No need to include a direct object, i.e. what is being criticized.)
¿Se puede fumar aquí?	Can one smoke here?
¿Se puede entrar?	Can one (I) come in?
Se trabaja mejor en equipo.	People work better as a team.
Se vive bien en Dinamarca.	One lives well (life is good) in Denmark.
Se habló de cosas insignificantes.	Insignificant things were spoken about.
Se está mejor solo que mal acompañado.	One is better off alone than in bad company.
Si se está embarazada, hay que dejar de beber.	If one is pregnant, one must stop drinking.
Se es más feliz sin enfermedades.	One is happier without illnesses.

To sum up…

We know there’s a lottt to take in here. It might help to look at the three constructions side-by-side.

Passive se	Se + transitive verb + a	Impersonal se
There is an agent (who does the action) but it’s not mentioned.	There is a human agent (who does the action) but it’s not mentioned.	No specific agent. People in general.
Transitive verbs.	Transitive verbs.	Transitive verbs without specifying the direct object. Intransitive verbs. Copulative verbs.
The subject usually refers to a thing, or to unspecified people without personal a.	The object refers to a person or animal.	Not applicable.
Singular or plural.	Singular.	Singular.

Quiz

Let’s try a little test. These are tricky, even for native Spanish-speakers, so just give them a go! Say whether the se used in the construction is the passive se, the se + transitive + a, or the impersonal se.

1. Con este teléfono se llama a los amigos. (With this phone, people call friends.)

a. Passive se

b. Se + transitive + a