Impersonal Se
Use impersonal se to make general statements without naming a specific subject.
Impersonal Se in Spanish
The impersonal se is used to talk about people in general without saying exactly who performs the action.
It is similar to English you, people, they, or one in general statements.
- En España se cena tarde. — People eat dinner late in Spain.
- Aquí se trabaja mucho. — People work a lot here.
- ¿Cómo se dice “book” en español? — How do you say “book” in Spanish?
How to form it
Use:
se + verb in the third-person singular
- Se vive bien aquí. — People live well here.
- Se come muy bien en este restaurante. — You can eat very well at this restaurant.
- Se habla español. — Spanish is spoken / People speak Spanish.
The verb normally stays in the third-person singular because there is no specific grammatical subject.
When to use impersonal se
General statements
Use it when talking about what people generally do.
- En verano se sale más. — People go out more in summer.
- Aquí se paga con tarjeta. — People pay by card here.
- En esta ciudad se camina mucho. — People walk a lot in this city.
Rules and instructions
Impersonal se is also common in instructions, signs, and explanations.
- No se puede fumar aquí. — You cannot smoke here.
- Se entra por esta puerta. — You enter through this door.
- ¿Cómo se llega al centro? — How do you get to the city centre?
Asking how something is said or done
A very common pattern is:
¿Cómo se + verb…?
- ¿Cómo se dice esto en español? — How do you say this in Spanish?
- ¿Cómo se escribe tu apellido? — How do you spell your surname?
- ¿Cómo se hace la tortilla española? — How do you make Spanish omelette?
Impersonal se with people
When the action refers to an unspecified person or group of people, the verb remains singular.
- Se busca a un camarero. — They are looking for a waiter.
- Aquí se trata bien a los clientes. — Customers are treated well here.
With a specific person as the object, Spanish normally uses the personal a.
Impersonal se vs passive se
These two structures look similar, but they work differently.
Impersonal se
There is no grammatical subject, so the verb is singular.
- Se vive bien aquí. — People live well here.
- Se busca a dos trabajadores. — They are looking for two workers.
Passive se
A noun acts as the grammatical subject, so the verb agrees with it.
- Se vende una casa. — A house is for sale.
- Se venden dos casas. — Two houses are for sale.
A useful clue is that passive se can usually change between singular and plural, while impersonal se normally stays singular.
See Passive Se for more details.
Impersonal se vs uno
Spanish can also use uno to mean “one” or “you” in a general sense:
- A veces uno necesita descansar. — Sometimes you just need to rest.
But impersonal se is often more neutral and common in general statements:
- A veces se necesita descansar.
Quick rule
Use se + third-person singular verb when you mean people in general and do not want to say exactly who performs the action.
- Aquí se come bien.
- No se puede aparcar.
- ¿Cómo se dice esto en español?