B1 · The passive
Passive with se
The everyday form — and the verb agrees with the thing.
At a glance
- Remember
- The verb agrees with the thing — with people it agrees with nobody, and takes an a.
- Form
- Se vende piso. / Aquí se habla español.singular
- Signal words
- se vende
- se alquila
- se busca
- se habla
- se prohíbe
- Trap
- Wrong:Se vende pisos en esta calle.Right:Se venden pisos en esta calle.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Spanish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) person ending ending for tense and person negation
| singular | Se vende piso. / Aquí se habla español. |
| plural | Se venden pisos. / Se alquilan habitaciones. |
| with people | Se busca a los testigos. |
| impersonal, no object | Aquí se come muy bien. |
| past | Se construyó en 1920. |
| with a modal | No se puede aparcar aquí. |
| is sold (singular) | se vende |
| are sold (plural) | se venden |
| was sold (singular) | se vendió |
| were sold (plural) | se vendieron |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
se plus third person, with nobody named.
Aquí se habla español y se entiende portugués.Spanish is spoken here and Portuguese is understood.
The verb goes plural when the thing is plural.
Se necesitan camareros.Waiters wanted.
With people it stays singular, with a.
Se ayudó a las familias afectadas.The affected families were helped.
The doer cannot be named at all.
La catedral se construyó en el siglo XV.The cathedral was built in the fifteenth century.
Example sentences
En esta tienda se aceptan tarjetas.Cards are accepted in this shop.
Se ruega no fumar.Please do not smoke.
El museo se abrió al público en 1985.The museum was opened to the public in 1985.
No se permite el paso.No entry.
6 more example sentences
Se alquila apartamento amueblado.Furnished flat to let.
Aquí no se puede fumar.There is no smoking here.
Se hablan tres idiomas en esta oficina.Three languages are spoken in this office.
El acuerdo se firmó ayer.The agreement was signed yesterday.
Se prohíbe la entrada a menores.Minors are not admitted.
¿Cómo se dice esto en español?How do you say this in Spanish?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The verb is left singular although the thing is plural: Se vende pisos. It is Se venden pisos — the flats are the grammatical subject and the verb follows them, exactly as it does in «these books sell well». You do see the mistake on Spanish signs, and it is still a mistake.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
It is built from se plus the third person: Aquí se vende pan. Literally «bread sells itself here», meaning «bread is sold here». Whoever does it is not named and cannot be named.
English has one construction that behaves this way and no grammar book calls it a passive: «this book sells well», «the door opened», «the shirt washes easily». The thing is the subject, the verb is active, and nobody is mentioned. That is exactly the Spanish pattern — which is also why the verb agrees with the thing: Se vende piso, but Se venden pisos.
With people it works differently. The verb stays singular and an a goes in: Se busca a los responsables. Without that a the sentence would say the culprits were looking for each other.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: hablar · necesitar · abrir · permitir · entender · aceptar · construir · ayudar