English has several ways to avoid naming who does something: "one does," "you do," "people do," "it is done." Spanish mostly uses a single structure — se + verb.
When nobody in particular is doing the action, use se + third person singular. The verb never changes.
When the action lands on a thing, the verb agrees with that thing. Singular thing → singular verb. Plural things → plural verb. This is the structure on every shop window in the Spanish-speaking world.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Se vende casa. | Se venden casas. |
| Se habla español. | Se hablan varios idiomas. |
| Se busca camarero. | Se buscan camareros. |
| Se alquila piso. | Se alquilan pisos. |
The agreement test. Ask: is there a thing the action is happening to? If yes, the verb matches it — se venden casas. If there's no such thing (the verb is intransitive, or followed by a person with a), stay singular — se vive bien, se ayuda a los estudiantes.
Spanish has a dedicated structure for unplanned events, and it quietly shifts the blame away from the person. The formula is se + indirect object pronoun + verb, with the verb agreeing with the thing.
Why this matters socially: Rompí el teléfono admits you broke it. Se me rompió el teléfono says it broke on you. Native speakers reach for the second one constantly — it isn't evasive, it's just the normal way to describe an accident.
| Type | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Reflexive | Se lava las manos. | He washes his own hands |
| Reciprocal | Se abrazaron. | They hugged each other |
| Impersonal / passive | Se venden casas. | Houses are sold |
| Replacing le/les | Se lo di a Juan. | I gave it to him |
1.En México se ___ (cenar) muy tarde.
2.Se ___ (vender) casas en esta calle.
3.Choose the correct sign for a single flat:
4.¿Cómo se ___ (decir) "book" en español?
5.Se ___ (hablar) varios idiomas en este hotel.
6.Which sentence says "I dropped the glass" the way a native speaker would?
7.Se nos ___ (olvidar) las llaves en casa.
8.Aquí no se ___ (poder) fumar.
9.True or false: in "se venden casas," the verb is plural because casas is plural.
10.Se le ___ (romper) el teléfono ayer.
11.What kind of "se" is in "Se lo di a Juan"?
12.En este país se ___ (trabajar) muchas horas.
Book a class with Ángel and practise describing customs in your country — the impersonal se is unavoidable there.