Se #3: the se passive — se venden casas

Explication

The se passive (pasiva refleja) presents an action where the doer is unknown or irrelevant. The thing acted on becomes the grammatical subject, and the verb agrees with it: se vende esta casa, se venden casas, se firmó el contrato, se firmaron los contratos.

Crucially, no agent ('by someone') can be added — that's the whole point: se necesitan empleados ('employees are needed'), se habla guaraní aquí. If you want to name the doer, you'd use the ser passive (fue firmado por…) instead.

This is the workhorse of signs, ads, recipes, and instructions: se alquila, se busca, se sirve frío, se mezcla todo. The full contrast with the ser passive — and with impersonal se — has its own rule.

Exemples

Règles liées

• Se vende vs fue vendido: choosing a passive
• Se #4: impersonal se — se vive bien aquí