Passive se
The passive se (reflexive-passive) uses the third-person reflexive clitic se with an active verb to show that something is being done to a subject, rather than the subject doing the action.
How It Works
A se passive presents the affected thing as the subject and leaves the agent in the background.
Agreement: Use third-person singular with a singular subject and plural with a plural subject: Se vinde o casă. / Se vând case. (A house is for sale. / Houses are for sale.)
Meaning: Cărțile se vând repede means that the books sell quickly or are sold quickly. It does not say the books literally sell themselves.
Other tenses: S-a construit un pod. / S-au construit două poduri. The auxiliary agrees in number. The active-form compound-perfect participle stays unchanged.
Agents: The agent is usually omitted. An explicit de către agent is possible in formal se passives, although a passive with a fi is often clearer when the agent is central.
Compare impersonal se: Aici se vorbește românește has an adverb and is impersonal. Aici se vorbește limba română has the noun phrase limba română as the passive subject. Compare plural Aici se vorbesc mai multe limbi.
Examples (5)
- Aici se vorbește limba română.
Romanian is spoken here.
Word by Word: Here SE speaks language-the Romanian.
Limba română is the singular passive subject, so the verb is singular: se vorbește.
- Se vând bilete la intrare.
Tickets are sold at the entrance.
Word by Word: Themselves sell tickets at the entrance.
Note that 'vând' is plural to agree with 'bilete' (tickets).
- Se construiește un nou bloc.
A new apartment building is being built.
Word by Word: Itself builds a new block.
The verb is singular because 'un nou bloc' is singular.
- Cartofii se fierb în apă cu sare.
The potatoes are boiled in salted water.
Word by Word: The potatoes themselves boil in water with salt.
Commonly used in recipes to describe a process without mentioning 'you' or 'the cook'.
- Nu se știe adevărul.
The truth is not known.
Word by Word: Not itself knows the truth.
Used for general states of knowledge where the 'knower' is irrelevant.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to make the verb plural when the subject is plural.
Se vinde mere în piață.Se vând mere în piață.Because 'mere' (apples) is plural, the verb 'a vinde' must be conjugated in the 3rd person plural ('vând').
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the passive se construction, you must first be familiar with the reflexive pronoun 'se' and how it functions generally. Additionally, since the verb in a passive se clause must agree with the grammatical subject (e.g., 'se vând cărți'), a solid grasp of basic verb conjugation and the concept of impersonal constructions is necessary.
Related Patterns
- Passive With a fiThe Fi Passive
This is the alternative passive construction, used more in formal writing or when the agent is specified.
Level 3 - mă / te / se / ne / vă / seReflexive Pronouns
The passive 'se' uses the 3rd person reflexive pronoun as its core component.
Level 2 - Participle Agreement
While the 'se' passive uses active verb forms, the 'a fi' passive requires participle agreement.
Level 3 - Anticausative se
A related reflexive use where an action happens 'on its own' (e.g., 'the door opens') without a clear external agent.
Level 6
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Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Passive se in Bubblegum
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