⇒ Impersonal se constructions (oraciones impersonales) are used to make general observations about what people do.
⇒ Check out these examples of the impersonal se:
| Se debe trabajar mucho para tener éxito.One should work hard to gain success. |
| Se vive muy bien en este pueblo.You live well in this village./Life is good in this village. |
| Se busca a los testigos del crimén.They're looking for witnesses to the crime. |
⇒ While the above English translations contain one, they, or you, there is no obvious grammatical subject in Spanish. This lack of an obvious subject is a key part of impersonal se constructions; it's what makes them impersonal!
⇒ In impersonal se constructions, verbs are always conjugated in the third person singular.
| Impersonal Se Formulase + verb in third person singular |
| Se estudia muy bien en ese café.That coffee shop is great for studying. |
| Se trabaja mejor sin distracciones.It's better to work without distractions. |
⇒ Looking for information on the differences between the impersonal se and the passive se? Check out our notes here!