Passive, Impersonal, & Accidental “Se” in Spanish

Let us discuss the important topic of the passive voice in Spanish, and understand the difference between reflexive passive “se,” Impersonal “se,” and accidental “se.”

One way to describe something in the passive voice in Spanish is by moving the noun acted upon to the beginning of the sentence to emphasize it and using a “to be” verb followed by the adjective or the past participle. For example:

El tejido fue hecho de material reciclado (por la fábrica).	The textile was made* from recycled* material (by the factory).
El contrato será firmado (por la empresa).	The contract will be signed (by the company).

The performer of the action in the above two examples, denoted by “por …” (by …), can be omitted as it is deemed not to be of great significance.

Reflexive Passive “Se”

Another way to construct the passive voice in Spanish is by using the reflexive passive “se” with transitive verbs. The basic formula consists of “se” followed by the third-person verb in singular or plural, depending on the noun which follows the verb.

“Se” + third-person transitive verb (sing. or plural) + noun (sing. or plural)

This is the passive construction you are likely to encounter in ads, commercials, cookbook instructions, or when the performer of the action is unknown or not as important. For example:

Se buscan personas con experiencia.	*Wanted* people with experience.
Se venden celulares aquí.	Cell phones are sold here.
Se alquila un apartamento.	An apartment for rent.
Se cortan las manzanas, y se mezclan los ingredientes.	The apples are cut, and the ingredients are mixed.

Notice that only transitive verbs can be used to construct sentences using the reflexive passive “se,” and the noun that follows the third-person verb can represent thing(s) or person(s).

Impersonal “Se”

In English, we sometimes make general statements or observations such as:

We work better as a team.

They sleep early in the village.

It feels better without social pressure.

It is better alone than in bad company.

Notice that in the above sentences, we used the subject pronouns (we, they, and it) to convey a general meaning. For instance, the subject “we” in the sentence “We work better as a team” does not necessarily refer to the speaker(s) but rather refers to the general fact that humans work better as a team rather than individually. In other words, work is better as a team.

Notice also that the verbs “to work” and “to sleep” are intransitive, meaning that they do not need an object for the meaning to be complete. On the other hand, “to feel” and “to be” are copular verbs, meaning they connect a subject to an adjective, adverb, noun, or phrase. Examples of copular verbs include: seem, feel, appear, look, become, taste, get, sound, turn, grow, and find.

In Spanish, there is a special way to express such observations or statements using “se” followed by the singular third-person conjugation of the verb. Because the subject is undefined, we call this construction impersonal.

How to use impersonal “se” in Spanish

We translate the previous examples into Spanish as follows:

We work better as a team.	Se trabaja mejor en equipo.
They sleep early in the village.	Se duerme temprano en el pueblo.
It feels better without social pressure.	Se siente mejor sin presión social.
It is better alone than in bad company.	Se está mejor solo que mal acompañado.

Transitive, Intransitive, or Copular Verbs using Impersonal “Se”

As you can see, the verb is always singular regardless of any implicit assumptions about the subject, which is grammatically absent.

“Se” + third-person intransitive or copular verb (always singular)

Although often used with intransitive and copular verbs, the impersonal “se” can also be used with transitive verbs in one case, that is, if the direct complement is a person(s) preceded by the personal “a,” e.g., “Se busca a personas con experiencia” (Wanted people with experience). In this case, as is the practice with impersonal “se” sentences, the third-person verb is in singular form regardless of the number of the noun following the personal “a.”

“Se” + third-person transitive verb (always sing.) + Personal “a” + Person(s)

Reflexive Passive “Se” vs. Impersonal “Se”

There are many reflexive passive and impersonal “se” examples in commercials and other everyday activities. If you find it sometimes difficult to distinguish between the reflexive passive “se” and the impersonal “se,” consider the following rules:

If the third-person verb is intransitive or copular, we must use the impersonal “se.”
If the third-person verb is transitive and the noun that follows the verb is a thing or things, not a person or persons, we must use the reflexive passive “se.”

When is it tricky?

Confusion arises only when the third-person verb is transitive and the noun that follows the verb is a person or persons, not a thing or things. In this case, we can use either the reflexive passive “se” or the impersonal “se.” Consider the following two examples:

Se buscan personas con experiencia.	*Wanted* people with experience.
Se busca a personas con experiencia.	*Wanted* people with experience.

The two examples above have identical English translations and use the same transitive verb, “buscar” (to search or look for). The second example, however, differs in two ways:

The direct complement is person(s) preceded by the personal “a,” which makes the subject lacking from a grammatical point of view.
The third-person verb is in the singular form.

Thus, the second example uses the impersonal “se,” whereas the first example uses the reflexive passive “se.”

Accidental “Se”

Another interesting use of “se” in Spanish is the “accidental se” or the blameless form, in which the speaker does not claim responsibility for the action. It indicates that the action is due to an accident rather than a deliberate act. Examples of this are:

Se me cayó el Internet.	My internet dropped off.
Se me olvidaron las llaves.	I forgot the keys.
No se nos quedó^[1] la dirección.	We can’t remember the address.

^[1] The reflexive verb “quedarse” here means “to remember.”

It is more like saying that the internet dropped off on me or the keys were forgotten on me, rather than taking the blame or responsibility for the accidental action of dropping or forgetting something.

You can distinguish the accidental “se” from the reflexive passive “se” and the impersonal “se” by the reflexive pronoun, which precedes the accidental “se” and reveals the real performer of the act.

Summary

The table below summarizes the differences between the reflexive passive, the impersonal, and the accidental “se” in Spanish:

	Pronoun(s)	Verb		Noun		Example
Reflexive Passive	Se	Transitive Only	Sing. or Plural	Thing or Person	Sing. or Plural	Aquí se habla español.
Impersonal	Se	Intransitive or Copular	Always Sing.	Absent		Se trabaja mejor en equipo.
Impersonal	Se	Transitive	Always Sing.	Personal “a” + Person(s)		Se busca a gente joven.
Accidental	Se + Refl. Pron.	Transitive Only	Sing. or Plural	Thing or Person	Sing. or Plural	Se me cayó la llave.