Impersonal Voice
The impersonal voice describes general actions without naming who does them, useful for rules, announcements, and everyday remarks. It keeps attention on the action rather than on any particular person.
Se Impersonal
Use se plus a third-person verb to express impersonal actions that apply broadly, common in signs, instructions, and reports. The noun that follows se determines whether the verb is singular or plural.
Examples
| Spanish Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 📰 Se dice que la app es infalible. | They say the app is infallible. | General rumor or saying |
| 📡 Se lanzó una nueva versión ayer. | A new version was launched yesterday. | Neutral announcement |
| 🧑💻 Se trabaja mucho para mejorar el algoritmo. | People work hard to improve the algorithm. | Generalized subject |
| 📧 Se envió el reporte a todos los usuarios. | The report was sent to all users. | Neutral tone |
Formation
When to Use
Passive Voice
The passive voice shifts focus to the action or its recipient, formed with ser plus a past participle that agrees in gender and number with the subject. Use it to highlight an event or to remain neutral about the agent.
Examples
| Spanish Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 🛠️ La plataforma fue reparada durante la noche. | The platform was repaired overnight. | Completed action |
| ⚠️ Fue emitida una alerta de seguridad. | A security alert was issued. | Formal notice |
| 🧹 Los datos fueron limpiados antes del análisis. | The data was cleaned before analysis. | Passive with agent omitted |
| 📊 El informe fue generado automáticamente. | The report was generated automatically. | Result focus |
Formation
When to Use
Impersonal Forms: Uno and Tercera Persona
Uno and third-person constructions use the active voice to generalize about people in more natural speech; uno functions like "one" and can be replaced by la gente or by passive or impersonal se. The third person talks about people in general without marking an agent.
Examples
| Spanish Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 👤 Uno nunca sabe cuándo cambiará el algoritmo. | One never knows when the algorithm will change. | Generalized ‘one’ |
| 🗣️ Dicen que la actualización será pronto. | They say the update will be soon. | Impersonal ‘they’ |
| 🧑🏫 En clase se dice que la data es el nuevo oro. | In class, they say data is the new gold. | Neutral report |
| 📢 Uno debe estar siempre atento a las novedades. | One should always be attentive to updates. | General advice |
Impersonal Voice vs Passive Voice
The impersonal voice with se treats the action as general and agentless, while the passive voice can identify a recipient and sometimes an agent; choose based on whether you want to highlight the action, result, or neutrality. Impersonal se works well for rules and common practices, passive voice for news and formal reports.
Summary
Use the impersonal voice to describe general actions without an agent: employ se plus a third-person verb for broad rules and notices, use passive voice with ser and a past participle to highlight actions or results, and rely on uno or third-person active for natural generalizations in speech.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025