4.03 - Se habla español - Estructuras
Español 30
4.03 Se habla español.
In Spanish the impersonal (passive) pronoun "se" is used to talk about an action without specifying who is performing it. So, if you don't want or can't tell who is doing something, then you can use "se + verb (in the third person)" to express this idea. You have probably seen these expressions in TV commercials or magazine ads. In English class, you may have heard the term Passive Voice. Let's take a look...
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En Cuba se habla español.
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Se ofrecen servicios de salud pública aquí.
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En todo el país se obliga ir al colegio.
Notice how the verb after the pronoun se changes from singular to plural depending on the noun that follows it. If the noun is singular, like español, on the example above, the verb is conjugated in the singular third person form. However, if it is followed by a plural noun, like servicios, on the example above, then, the verb is conjugated in the plural form. When an infinitive verb is found after the se + verb, then the singular form is used as shown on the last example above.
¡Ahora tú!
Se __________(poder) viajar en los coco taxi porque son muy rápidos
Se __________(tener) restricciones sobre la red informática en Cuba.
Se __________(dar) servicios médico gratuitos en La Habana.
En esta oficina se __________(almorzar) comida saludable.