“Se vende”: the passive that Spanish actually uses
CEFR B2 · part 1
edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
“Llevo dos horas esperando”: two verbs working togetherThe everyday combinations: “acabar de” (just), “llevar” + gerund (have been), “ponerse…“Aunque llueve” or “aunque llueva”Choosing the mood after “aunque”, “a pesar de que” and “por mucho que” according to…“Llegó Ana”: the subject after the verbPutting the subject after the verb where Spanish prefers it: with verbs of happening…“Lo que quiero”: the neuter “lo”Using “lo” with an adjective (“lo bueno”, “lo difícil”) and “lo que” for “what”: “lo que…“Depender de”, “soñar con”, “pensar en”The preposition each verb demands, which almost never matches the English one: “depender…“Ser” or “estar”: two verbs for one “to be”Choosing between “ser” and “estar” in everyday sentences: who you are and what you are…The rule, in three lines
To say something without naming who does it, Spanish uses se: se vende piso, se venden pisos —agreeing with the thing— and se dice que…, where nothing agrees because there is no thing. The ser passive (el piso fue vendido) exists but lives in newspapers and reports, almost never in speech.
The usual slip. Using the ser passive everywhere because English does: el piso es vendido, which is grammatical and reads like a translation.
Why it catches you out. English reaches for the passive constantly —“Spanish is spoken here”— and Spanish, for the same job, reaches for “se”: “aquí se habla español”. Using the “ser” passive in conversation is the single clearest sign that a sentence was thought in English first.