When to use (or not use) different passive formsI think I've managed to wrap my head around how the passive works in a basic sense, but I'm wondering if anyone can offer, or refer me to, any guidance on WHEN to use different passive/impersonal forms, or how the nuances change? I know this is a rather broad question, so I'll try to narrow it down to a couple examples:
When is it prefered to use the true passive versus the se refleja form? for example, I was reading an article that said "las piedras habían sido extraídas de rocas que se formaron hace miles de millones de años." Here we have two different forms used in the same sentence! Could the writer have instead said "las piedras se habían extraído de rocas que fueron formado"--or some other combination--and if so are there different nuances?! Is one simply more formal? Or is there another specific reason the se pasiva wasn't use for one but it was used for the other?
Also, I know this is a lot at once, but I'm struggling to grasp how the use of the passive with "se" differs from the use of the "ellos" impersonal construction. For example, if a house is under construction down the street, would you say "se construye una casa" or "construyen una casa" and if both are equally valid, how are the nuances different? And are there cases where one is possible but the other isn't? For instance, I've often noticed that when the object of an action is a person rather than a thing the action is often not expressed with se--the ellos form seems to be the choice in some cases like "le robaron" (but not "se robó"?). And yet... we do have "se buscan secretarias"? I can't quite see what is going on here...
Mil gracias in advance for any help on any of these questions...
The time is last month, why don't we use Era posible and lead to other hubiera PP?
Justin
Hola Inma,
I can’t work out why whether the information is already known to the parties concerned, that the subjunctive is used [in the pretérito imperfecto].
Also why using the pretérito indefinido would indicate that the information is new information.
In other words what is the logic behind this when forming the subjunctive? I completely get the idea of a hypothetical idea requiring the subjunctive, but the aspect of whether the information is already familiar to the people concerned, is confusing me. Saludos. John
> My boyfriend is always asking me to be patient with him.
Translating this into the English subjunctive would be “My boyfriend is always asking that I be patient with him.” And that keeps the “que=that” part of things too!
Like ‘como uvas’ , can we say ‘yo como uvas’ too, and why is there no ‘I’?
Hello, this is a more advanced topic but I've come back to review.
Why do we use the subjunctive in this statement:
Ustedes pueden comprar lo que quieran.
Thanks.
What an explosion of vocabulary! Does the average hispanohablante use such an extensive vocab? Really good audio. thanks again, I enjoy every one of them . . .
there is a sentence in the notes where it says
'Hablo con ella cuando llega a casa. = I will speak with her when she gets home.'
Since this is a non general statement of using cuando, but a future specified situation, shouldn't we use subjuntive? there is a note on this. are is this the same thing but different point of view?
Hablo con ella cuando llegue a casa.
I think I've managed to wrap my head around how the passive works in a basic sense, but I'm wondering if anyone can offer, or refer me to, any guidance on WHEN to use different passive/impersonal forms, or how the nuances change? I know this is a rather broad question, so I'll try to narrow it down to a couple examples:
When is it prefered to use the true passive versus the se refleja form? for example, I was reading an article that said "las piedras habían sido extraídas de rocas que se formaron hace miles de millones de años." Here we have two different forms used in the same sentence! Could the writer have instead said "las piedras se habían extraído de rocas que fueron formado"--or some other combination--and if so are there different nuances?! Is one simply more formal? Or is there another specific reason the se pasiva wasn't use for one but it was used for the other?
Also, I know this is a lot at once, but I'm struggling to grasp how the use of the passive with "se" differs from the use of the "ellos" impersonal construction. For example, if a house is under construction down the street, would you say "se construye una casa" or "construyen una casa" and if both are equally valid, how are the nuances different? And are there cases where one is possible but the other isn't? For instance, I've often noticed that when the object of an action is a person rather than a thing the action is often not expressed with se--the ellos form seems to be the choice in some cases like "le robaron" (but not "se robó"?). And yet... we do have "se buscan secretarias"? I can't quite see what is going on here...
Mil gracias in advance for any help on any of these questions...
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