The Grammatical Explanation of Passive Se
I do understand the grammatical use and explanation of the impersonal se, but I don't get the passive se. In this website's reference article, it says, "The pronoun se is used in passive sentences where the object to which the noun refers is also the subject of the verb." I don't get the bold part! Could you please help me with easy explanations and examples?
2 Answers
Se construye la casa. The house is built.
Se construyó la casa. The house was built.
Cuando yo era joven, no se podía comer carne los viernes. When I was young, you couldn't eat meat on Fridays.
Se terminará esta casa el año que viene. The house will be finished next year.
Se moriría en Plutón. A person would die on Pluto.
Se ha escrito este libro para los enamorados de los gatos. They've written this book for cat lovers.
No se había pintado la casa hasta 1945. The house hadn't been painted until 1945.
Se habrá terminado el puente hace un año en abril. The bridge will have been finished one year in April.
Se habría repintado la casa, pero decidimos no vendería. The house would have been repainted, but we decided not to sell it.
Espero que no se servan perritos calientes en la recepción. I hope they don't serve hot dogs at the reception.
