The Spanish passive and se: fue escrito, se venden, se vive bien
One fact, three ways · pick a headline, then a voice
El País · CulturaEl Quijote fue escrito por Cervantes.
El Quijotethe QuixotefuewasescritowrittenporbyCervantes.Cervantes
el kee-HOH-teh fweh es-KREE-toh por ther-BAN-tes · “The Quixote was written by Cervantes.”Why:Ser passive: fue + escrito (irregular participle of escribir), agreeing with el Quijote; por names the doer.
Short answer: the full passive is ser + past participle (+ por for who did it): el libro fue escrito por Cervantes. It is formal and mostly written. In everyday Spanish the passive is se + verb, with the verb agreeing with the thing: se vende piso, se venden pisos. With no thing at all, se means “people” or “you”: aquí se vive bien.
The full passive
Ser + participle + por
The past participle is the “-ed” form: -ar → -ado, -er / -ir → -ido (construido, vendido). In the passive it agrees with the subject like an adjective: la casa fue construida, los coches fueron vendidos. Only ser changes tense.
subjectLa catedralthe cathedralserfuewasparticipleconstruidabuiltporeninel siglo XIIIthe 13th century
“The cathedral was built in the 13th century.” · construida: feminine, like la catedral
“The letters have been sent.” · perfect: han sido + participle
La pasiva refleja
Se + verb: the everyday passive
Spoken Spanish turns most passives into se + the verb in the “he / she / it” or “they” form. The thing comes after the verb, and the verb agrees with it: one thing, singular; several, plural. No por is used: the doer does not matter. Switch between one and several.
Seitselfvendesellspiso.flat
seh BEN-deh PEE-soh · “Flat for sale.”Why:Piso is singular, so vende.
Shop windows, flats and job adverts are full of se. Tap a sign to hear it and see it word by word.
Impersonal se
Se with no subject: people, you, one
When there is no thing for the verb to agree with, se + the singular verb makes a general statement, like English “people”, “you” or “one”. The verb is always singular.
Aquíhereseonevivelivesbien.well
ah-KEE seh BEE-beh BYEN“Life is good here.”Vivir has no object, so this is impersonal: singular vive.
¿Por dóndewhich wayseonevagoesal centro?to the centre
por DON-deh seh bah al THEN-troh“How do you get to the centre?”The polite way to ask directions without saying “you”.
En Españain Spainseonecenadinestarde.late
en es-PAH-nyah seh THEH-nah TAR-deh“In Spain people have dinner late.”A general habit: se + singular verb.
Nonotseonepuedecanfumar.to-smoke
noh seh PWEH-deh foo-MAR“You can’t smoke (here).”Se puede / no se puede + infinitive: what is allowed.
Action or result
Fue cerrada or está cerrada?
Ser + participle describes the action being done. Estar + participle describes the state it left behind. English uses “was closed” for both; Spanish separates them.
10:00 · the action · ser
La tiendathe shopfuewascerradaclosedporbyla policía.the police
lah TYEN-dah fweh theh-RRAH-dah por lah poh-lee-THEE-ah · “The shop was closed (down) by the police.”
→
14:00 · the result · estar
La tiendathe shopestáiscerrada.closed
lah TYEN-dah es-TAH theh-RRAH-dah · “The shop is closed.”
Accidental se
Se me olvidó: things that just happen to you
For accidents, Spanish makes the object the subject and adds the person as me, te, le: se me olvidaron las llaves, literally “the keys forgot themselves on me”. It makes the event sound unintentional. The verb agrees with the thing.
Seitselfmeon-meolvidaronforgotlas llaves.the keys
seh meh ol-bee-DAH-ron lahs YAH-bes
“I forgot my keys.”Plural llaves: olvidaron. Me = it happened to me.
Seitselfmeon-mecayófellel móvil.the mobile
seh meh kah-YOH el MOH-beel
“I dropped my phone.”Literally “the phone fell on me”: singular cayó.