Español — Impersonal se
Spanish uses se with a verb in the third-person singular to talk about people in general, without naming who does the action: se dice, se vive bien, se come tarde aquí.
How it works
Use se + the third-person singular of the verb for an unspecified, generic subject ("one / people / you"): se dice que el café es bueno ("they say the coffee is good"), aquí se vive bien ("one lives well here"), en España se come tarde ("in Spain people eat late"). The verb stays singular because there is no stated subject.
Examples
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| se dice que va a llover | they say it's going to rain |
| aquí se vive bien | one lives well here |
| en España se come tarde | in Spain people eat late |
| ¿cómo se va al centro? | how do you get to the centre? |
| no se puede fumar aquí | you can't smoke here |
| se trabaja mucho en esta ciudad | people work a lot in this city |
Good to know
Don't confuse impersonal se (always singular) with passive se, which agrees in number with a following noun: se vende casa but se venden casas ("houses for sale"). When se is followed by a plural noun that acts as the thing being done, the verb goes plural; the truly impersonal se — with no such noun — stays singular.