Portuguese 6.6. Reflexive Passive & Impersonal “Se”

Let us discuss the important topic of the passive voice in Portuguese, and understand the difference between reflexive passive “se” and Impersonal “se.”

Using a “to be” verb followed by the adjective or the past participle

One way to describe something in the passive voice in Portuguese is by moving the noun acted upon to the beginning of the sentence to emphasize it and using a “to be” verb followed by the adjective or the past participle. For example:

O tecido foi feito com material reciclado (pela fábrica).	The textile was made from recycled material (by the factory).
O contrato será assinado (pela empresa).	The contract will be signed (by the company).

The performer of the action in the above two examples, denoted by “por …” (by …), can be omitted as it is deemed not to be of great significance.

Reflexive Passive “Se”

Another way to construct the passive voice in Portuguese is by using the reflexive passive “se” with transitive verbs. The basic formula consists of the third-person verb in singular or plural, depending on the noun which follows the verb, followed by “se” which is separated from the verb by a hyphen.

Third-person transitive verb (sing. or plural)-“se”  + noun (sing. or plural)

This is the passive construction you are likely to encounter in ads, commercials, cookbook instructions, or when the performer of the action is unknown or not as important. For example:

Precisa-se de cozinheiro com experiência.	Needed people with experience.
Vendem-se telemóveisaqui.	Cell phones are sold here.
Aluga-se um apartamento.	An apartment for rent.
Dão-se instruções são quando necessário.	Instructions are given when needed.

Notice that only transitive verbs can be used to construct sentences using the reflexive passive “se,” and the noun that follows the third-person verb can represent thing(s) or person(s).

Impersonal “Se”

In English, we sometimes make general statements, such as:

We work better as a team.

They sleep early in the village.

It feels better without social pressure.

One is better alone than in bad company.

One must follow the rules.

Notice that in the above sentences, we used the subject pronouns (we, they, it, and one) to convey a general meaning. For instance, the subject “we” in the sentence “We work better as a team” does not necessarily refer to the speaker(s) but rather refers to the general fact that humans work better as a team rather than individually. In other words, work is better as a team.

Notice also that the verbs “to work” and “to sleep” are intransitive, meaning that they do not need an object for the meaning to be complete. On the other hand, “to feel,” “must,” and “to be” are copular verbs, meaning they connect a subject to an adjective, adverb, noun, or phrase. Examples of copular verbs include: seem, feel, appear, look, become, taste, get, sound, turn, grow, and find.

In Portuguese, there is a special way to express such observations or statements using the singular third-person conjugation of the verb, followed by “se” which is separated from the verb by a hyphen. Because the subject is undefined, we call this construction impersonal.

Third-person intransitive or copular verb (always singular)-“se”

The previous examples in English can be translated as follows:

We work better as a team.	Trabalha-se melhor em equipe.
They sleep early in the village.	Dorme-se cedo na cidade pequena.
It feels better without social pressure.	Sente-se melhor sem pressão social.
One is better alone than in bad company.	Está-se melhor sozinho que mal acompanhado.
One must follow the rules.	Deve-se seguir as regras.

Notice that the verb is always singular regardless of any implicit assumptions about the subject, which is grammatically absent.

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