Se notaba here is impersonal o passive?

Question

Anoche todos los de la facultad de español nos reunimos para celebrar la Noche Vieja.También asistieron a la velada algunos jóvenes hispanohablantes. La sala donde se celebraba la fiesta estaba muy bien adornada. Atraída por la luminosidad y la animación, acudía mucha gente. Cuando yo llegué ya se notaba bastante animación. Muchos bailaban,algunos conversaban, otros iban y venían buscando bebidas. Me puse a un lado a mirar. Tenía ganas de bailar, pero no sabía con quien. ¿ Dónde estaba Victoria? Además tenía que entregarle un sobre con tarjeta o fotos dentro. En ese momento cesó la música y las parejas dejaron de bailar, porque vieron que Yolanda caminaba hacia el centro como para decir algo.

Se notaba here is impersonal o passive?

Answer 1

Cuando yo llegué ya se notaba bastante animación.

This is impersonal, because it would be directly translated as "When I arrived, I noticed lots of activity." We know the subject of the sentence is "I". We aren´t guessing.

More info on impersonal and passive "se" can be found here. (oooh see that passive-ness I just used?)

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Any form of sentences that indicates the subject of the sentence with "by (subject)" means passive:

The books were held by him.=He held the books.

The car was driven by us= We drove the car.

In English passive isn´t used very much because it is clunky and uses too many words to say something that could be said in an easier way.

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In passive tense, you can also not indicate the subject of the sentence, like in instructions/science processes or in news stories:

The chemical is mixed with three parts water.

Fifteen people were killed.

The subject is absent in those sentences.

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nice answer :) - Kiwi-Girl, Apr 4, 2012

se notaba = "it was noticed", not me but in general it was noticed. - -cae-, Apr 4, 2012

Yes, but it is inferred that "I" am the one noticing it. With passive, you have no clue who did it. "Se comieron las galletas," without knowing who ate them, would be passive. We have no clue who ate them. - missy8888, Apr 5, 2012

Answer 2

Thanks missy8888. Very good explanation of the passive voice.

So using your explanation "se celebraba" is also passive as you would say "the room where the fiesta was celebrated (by them) was.....

Correct?

Oh goodness, the more I look at the impersonal/passive SE pages, the more I get confused. I think my above post is incorrect now. I have no idea! - missy8888, Apr 5, 2012