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Thread: impersonal se vs. passive se confusion

 
  1. #1
    cmo
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    Question impersonal se vs. passive se confusion

    Se vende coches aqui. impersonal?
    se venden coches aqui. passive?
    Either way okay?

    Sympathy is lacking for the victims.
    Se le falta compasión a las victimas?
    or
    Se les falta compasión a las victimas?

    Still impersonal se construction?

    Thanks much

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    Senior Member Hebe's Avatar
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    Default Re: impersonal se vs. passive se confusion

    Quote Originally Posted by cmo
    Se vende coches aqui. impersonal?
    se venden coches aqui. passive?
    Either way okay?

    Sympathy is lacking for the victims.
    Se le falta compasión a las victimas?
    or
    Se les falta compasión a las victimas?

    Still impersonal se construction?

    Thanks much
    HI cmo. your second example does not seem very clear in Spanish. It is better to sat "hace falta compasión por las víctimas" or
    "no existe compasión por las víctimas",

    Best regards


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    Moderator SandraT's Avatar
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    Default Re: impersonal se vs. passive se confusion

    Se vende coches aqui. impersonal?
    se venden coches aqui. passive?
    we would say: Aquí se venden coches or simply Se venden coches.
    It's impersonal, not passive. You would need to say
    Aquí los choches son vendidos ...which would be passive but it's part of a sentence, not something you would use in a ad.
    The second, I agree with my friend Hebe.
    Realmente, el destino del mundo depende, en primer lugar, de los estadistas y, en segundo lugar, de los intérpretes.
    Trygve Halvdan Lie

  4. #4
    cmo
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    Default Re: impersonal se vs. passive se confusion

    Does Se le falta el respeto a los habitantes mean People have a lack of respect for the inhabitants? Or should it be Se les falta?
    or would hace falta respeto work better? Is hace always better to use with falta?
    thanks again

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