What are the differences between según dicen and según se dice?

Question

What are the differences between según dicen and según se dice?

Según dicen is from my book ,I made según se dice, is it correct also? Do they mean the same?

El texto en mi libro es

¡Qué sorpresa! ¡Cuánto tiempo sin verte! ¿ Dónde te metiste?

Fui a Madrid a estudiar, me dieron una beca.

¡Suerte tuviste! ¿Cuánto tiempo duró el curso?

Un año.Pero luego pedí una prórroga,de modo que estuve ahí dos años enteros.

¿Dónde te alojaste? Según dien, es muy difícil encontrar alojamiento en Madrid.

Question NO.1, Según dice , can I change into según se dice?

Question NO.2, alojamiento, can I change into alojamientos or los alojamientos?

Add a bit of context, zhmelissa, to help other understand...Perhaps the entire sentence from your book. - Janice, Feb 20, 2011

Answer 1

So, both form are correct? Can I used both in this sentence above?

Answer 2

Según dicen is the impersonal they that is non-pronominal.

Según se dice is the impersonal you or one and is pronominal.

impersonal you and they

Answer 3

Do "se dice " and" dicen " mean "it is said that....." or " people say that......"?

Be cautious...(people) gente is singular in Spanish, dicen is plural. You cannot say " la gente dicen" - 0074b507, Feb 20, 2011

Answer 4

To further answer your second question about "alojamiento", let me quote further from another rule explained in my Gramática básica del estudiante de español.

Cuando usamos un sustantivo sin artículo (articulo Ø), no nos referimos a ningún objeto concreto:

Example:

¡Tenemos Ø teléfono.

Answer 5

I think that one would not say "según se dice" but rather "según lo que se dice"

Sounds much better to me. How do you know if that is According to what is said or According to what one says or is the difference unimportant. - 0074b507, Feb 20, 2011

In other words, how do you know if that is passive voice or impersonal se? - 0074b507, Feb 20, 2011

..from context? (I am guessing..and think that "según dicen" is perhaps indeed the better choice.. - Janice, Feb 20, 2011

Answer 6

With regard to your second question:

Question NO.2, alojamiento, can I change into alojamientos or los alojamientos?

..I do not think that you can use "los". Here is a bit about using the definite article from Gramática básica del estudiante español

Usamos el, la, los, las para indicar que nos referimos a algo que es identificable para el oyente entre todos los otros objetos porque

> >

1) no hay otros objetos como ése, o

2) hemos hablado antes de ese objeto.

The book gives examples. In your case, lodging is not to be found "in general", wouldn't you agree?

Answer 7

My Spanish teacher ( a Chinese girl) told me Se dice = Dicen, I want to make sure ,if it's correct?

Practically yes, technically no. It is comparing One/you say(s)=they say - 0074b507, Feb 20, 2011

And in contexts that are not impersonal, they are not equal. - 0074b507, Feb 20, 2011

Answer 8

Changing alojamento to plural would be like changing lodging into lodgings.

Notice what it says here about the plural lodgings.

I see no reason to change it unless there is a reason to clarify that you are looking for lodging for several people or in several different locations.

Answer 9

Qfreed´s explanation seems fairly coherent. The answer to the question is yes. Video 3.12 gives a good explanation of how to use se in contexts like these.

Answer 10

El texto en mi libro es

¡Qué sorpresa! ¡Cuánto tiempo sin verte! ¿ Dónde te metiste?

Fui a Madrid a estudiar, me dieron una beca.

¡Suerte tuviste! ¿Cuánto tiempo duró el curso?

Un año.Pero luego pedí una prórroga,de modo que estuve ahí dos años enteros.

¿Dónde te alojaste? Según dien, es muy difícil encontrar alojamiento en Madrid.

Question NO.1, Según dice , can I change into según se dice?

Question NO.2, alojamiento, can I change into alojamientos or los alojamientos?

Thanks, this will make it much easier to get you the right answer!! - Janice, Feb 20, 2011

Answer 11

Without further context the se dice is often translated as passive voice. Rather than being seen as one says it usually gets translated as it is said. I have no idea how natives distinguish between impersonal se and passive-reflexive se in a lot of contexts. Maybe they don't bother, since the meaning is similar.

Anyway, whether they are acceptable or what is customary is something that a native would have to tell you.

Thanks a lot Qfreed! - zhmelissa, Feb 20, 2011