Impersonal се

Level 3Sounds Like bezlično se

Тук не се пуши. (No smoking here.) The verb has no subject: се means that people in general do, or do not do, this.

How It Works

1. Uses.

  • Rules and signs: Тук не се пуши. Оттук не се влиза.
  • Asking how things are done: Как се стига до гарата? Може ли да се плати с карта?
  • General statements: В този град се живее добре. (Life is good in this town.)
  • Set phrases: Не се знае. (Nobody knows.) Говори се, че... (People say that...)

2. Always singular. With no subject, the verb stays in the той/тя/то form in every tense: Тук се живееше добре (Life used to be good here); Тук ще се строи (There will be building here).

3. Impersonal or passive. When there is a noun that the action is done to, that noun is the subject, and the verb agrees with it: Тук се продават билети (Tickets are sold here). This is the passive with се. With no such noun, the verb stays singular.

4. Keep се. Without се, the verb refers to a specific person: Тук не пуши can mean He or she does not smoke here or the negative singular command Do not smoke here; neither expresses a general impersonal rule. The present пу̀ши and imperative пушѝ differ in stress.

5. With a person in the dative. Adding ми, ти, му... changes the meaning to feel like: Спи ми се (I feel sleepy). See ми се + verb.

Examples (6)

  1. Тук не се пуши.

    No smoking here.

  2. Как се стига до гарата?

    How does one get to the station?

  3. В този ресторант се яде добре.

    You eat well at this restaurant.

  4. Може ли да се плати с карта?

    Can one pay by card?

  5. Оттук не се влиза.

    There is no entry from here.

  6. Не се знае кога ще дойдат.

    Nobody knows when they will come.

Common Mistakes

  • Making an impersonal verb plural.

    Тук не се пушат.
    Тук не се пуши.

    There is no plural subject, so the verb stays singular.

  • Leaving out се.

    Тук не пуши.
    Тук не се пуши.

    Without се, Тук не пуши can mean "He or she does not smoke here" or the singular command "Do not smoke here"; it does not state the general rule. Се makes the rule impersonal.

  • Keeping the verb singular when there is a plural noun.

    Тук се продава билети.
    Тук се продават билети.

    Билети is the subject of a passive sentence, so the verb must agree with it: продават.

How It Connects

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Impersonal сеLevel 3

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Impersonal се combines се with impersonal sentences.

Words in This Pattern