Who did it doesn't matter: the passive and se
The language of offices and news gets by without naming who acts: 'applications are accepted until Friday', 'two were detained'. Spanish has three ways to do it. For example: “Se necesita el certificado de empadronamiento para la solicitud” — The registration certificate is required for the application. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The language of offices and news gets by without naming who acts: 'applications are accepted until Friday', 'two were detained'. Spanish has three ways to do it.
Ser plus a participle, agreeing in gender and number: la solicitud fue rechazada. The author comes in with por: fue detenido por la policía. This is the voice of newspapers, not of conversation.
Se plus the verb is the everyday one, and the verb agrees with the thing: se firma el contrato, se venden pisos. Every notice is written this way: se alquila piso, se prohíbe fumar.
In speech the third way wins: the ellos form with nobody named. Me han robado la cartera. Han cancelado el vuelo. Who did it is unknown and beside the point.
Table
| construction | where it lives | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ser + participle | newspaper, protocol | la ley fue aprobada | the law was passed |
| ser + participle + por | when the agent is named | fue detenido por la policía | he was detained by the police |
| se + verb (about things) | signs, instructions | se venden pisos | flats for sale |
| se + singular verb + a (about people) | bureaucracy | se detuvo a dos personas | two people were detained |
| 3rd-person plural | conversation | me han robado el móvil | my phone got stolen |
| no se puede / está prohibido | a ban | aquí no se puede fumar | no smoking here |
By example
- Se necesita el certificado de empadronamiento para la solicitudThe registration certificate is required for the application
- El detenido fue puesto en libertad por el juezThe detainee was released by the judge
- Aquí se atiende al público solo con cita previaHere you are seen by appointment only
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Who did it doesn't matter: how does it work in Spanish?
The language of offices and news gets by without naming who acts: 'applications are accepted until Friday', 'two were detained'. Spanish has three ways to do it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Se necesita el certificado de empadronamiento para la solicitud” — The registration certificate is required for the application. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.