се вели / не се пуши
Impersonal Се
Се + a he/she verb form talks about people in general: Овде не се пуши. (No smoking here.) · Кај нас се јаде доцна. (We eat late where I come from.)
How It Works
Impersonal се lets you talk about what people in general do, without naming anyone. English says one, you, people or it is said.
Form: се + the verb in the third person singular. There is no subject word:
- Се вели дека... — People say that... / It is said that...
- Овде не се пуши. — No smoking here. (Literally: here one does not smoke.)
- Кај нас се јаде доцна. — Where I come from, people eat late.
- Еднаш се живее. — You only live once.
Се comes before the verb with the other short words: не се пуши, ќе се оди (see ред пред глаголот: не; ќе; ми; го).
Useful everyday phrases: Се гледа дека... (You can see that...), Како се оди до...? (How do you get to...?), Не се знае. (Nobody knows.)
Different from the passive with се: in се за пасив: се продава there is a thing that is acted on, and the verb agrees with it: Се продава стан, Се продаваат станови. Impersonal се has no such noun, so the verb is always singular: Овде не се пуши.
Different from a specific "they": Велат дека... (They say that...) is also common and means the same general thing. But Тие велат дека... with тие points to particular people.
A related pattern adds a to-someone pronoun to mean feeling like doing something: Ми се спие (see ми се спие; ми се јаде). Phrases like се чини and изгледа distance you from a claim (see наводно; изгледа; се чини).
Examples (6)
- Се вели дека ќе врне цела недела.
People say it will rain all week.
Word by Word: Self says that will rain whole week.
- Овде не се пуши.
No smoking here.
Word by Word: Here not self smokes.
- Кај нас се јаде доцна.
Where I come from, people eat late.
Word by Word: At us self eats late.
- Еднаш се живее.
You only live once.
Word by Word: Once self lives.
- Се гледа дека си уморен.
Anyone can see that you are tired.
Word by Word: Self sees that you-are tired.
- Како се оди до центарот?
How do you get to the centre?
Word by Word: How self goes to centre-the?
Common Mistakes
Putting the verb in the plural to mean "people".
Овде не се пушат.Овде не се пуши.With no noun in the sentence, impersonal се always takes the third person singular.
Leaving out се.
Овде не пуши.Овде не се пуши.Without се, the sentence means "he or she does not smoke here", about one particular person.
Adding тоа as a subject, as in English "it is said".
Тоа се вели дека ќе врне.Се вели дека ќе врне.Impersonal се needs no subject word. The sentence starts directly with се.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Impersonal се follows the passive with се.
Related Patterns
- се + VerbVerbs with Се
Се is the same short word that forms many everyday verbs.
Level 1 - ми се спие / ми се јадеFeeling Like Doing Something
Impersonal се with a to-someone pronoun means feeling like doing something.
Level 3 - наводно / изгледа / се чиниDistancing from a Claim
Се чини and изгледа are fixed impersonal phrases for distancing yourself from a claim.
Level 5 - сум + Verbal Adjective + одThe Passive with Од
The сум passive can name the doer with од; impersonal се never names anyone.
Level 4 - The Order Before the Verb
Се takes its place in the fixed order of short words before the verb.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice се вели / не се пуши in Bubblegum
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