Why is the verb "comunicar" not conjugated in this example?

Question

En nuestra autobus hay un aviso "Por calquier consulta, surgencia, or queja por favor comunicarse con la administratión en horas de oficina."

Dos preguntas--

1. ¿Por que usan el infinitivo comunicar? ¿Por que no el imperitivo "comunique o comuniquen?

2. ¿Por que "se"? ¿Es reflexiva?

Answer 1

Web, I had a thought when I was reading your post. The sign "No Smoking" in English uses the gerund form of the infinitive "to smoke". The dictionary says a gerund is a "verbal noun", so the sign really says "No + (noun)".

As Lazarus indicated in another post, infinitives are nouns in Spanish. To me, it appears the English/Spanish language structure is similar in these advisory signs.

Spanish "No + (infinitive but handled as a noun)" English "No + (gerund or verbal noun)"

I may be terribly off course here, but maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

Certainly a possibility, but I've no idea. However, in Spanish, the infinitive can be noun...it isn't always one. - webdunce, Jan 6, 2011

*a noun (oops) - webdunce, Jan 6, 2011

Answer 2

I think (but am not sure) that comunicar would have more the feeling of "inform/tell the administration" while comunicarse has more the feeling of "talk with the administration."

Also, I know that negative commands on public signs (for example, no smoking) is often done with infinitives (no fumar). I wonder if there is now a trend to do the same with positive commands on public signs...or perhaps it's a regional thing.

I get the feeling that using infinitives for commands gives a very "institutional" feel to them.

But those are the musings of a person who has self-studied Spanish for 3 or 4 years...not of a Spanish expert or Spanish native.

Also, Lazarus's comment makes me wonder how the infinitive came to be used for negative institutional commands (e.g., no fumar). As for the English, I would think our short "no smoking" (which is a public or institutional command, but certainly not in English imperative, which would be "don't smoke") would be a shortened form of something like "There is to be no smoking here" or "No smoking is permitted here."

Answer 3

To me the sentence is unacceptable, but there is an increasing tendency to omit the main verb in polite requests, for some reason:

Por calquier consulta, surgencia, or queja, haga el favor de comunicarse con la administratión en horas de oficina.