Use of "se" in Spanish sentences
I am confused about the Spanish word "se".
For example, Se habla español = Spanish is spoken. ????How or, Se dice que = It is said that. ????How
I know about direct and indirect and prepositional pronouns and the special case where "se" replaces "le", but I am confused when i see "se" used as described above. I also understand the regular use of "se" like in, él se lava = he washes himself
Can anyone tell me what I'm not getting here?
3 Answers
"Se" in these cases simply informs you that the subject is not relevant in the discourse. In English this is normally expressed with passive constructions.
[Él] Habla español = He speaks Spanish
Se habla español = someone -not important right now- speaks Spanish (better translation: "Spanish is spoken here", obviously by whom is not the point right now)
[Ella] Dice que... = She says that...
Se dice que... = someone -not important right now- says that... (better translation: "It is said that...", obviously by whom is not the point right now)
You are talking about the impersonal se:
Se is used in an impersonal sense with singular verbs to indicate that people in general, or no person in particular, performs the action. When se is used in this way, the sentence follows the same pattern as those in which the main verb is used reflexively, except that there is no subject to the sentence that is explicitly stated..
Se puede encontrar cocos en el mercado. (One can find coconuts in the market.)
Muchas veces se tiene que estudiar para aprender. (Often one has to study to learn.)
No se debe comer con prisa. (One ought not to eat quickly.)
As Jeremias said, yours is an example of the "impersonal se". Here is an article about it in our reference section.
