The document discusses the impersonal style in Spanish, which is expressed using the pronoun "se". Some key ways "se" is used include: 1. As a passive construction to obscure the agent, similar to the English passive. 2. With intransitive verbs to leave out the subject performing the action. 3. To show participation or involvement without specifying an agent, as in "se sumó la participación" meaning "the participation joined".

1. The Spanish Impersonal Voice
E. Siler

2. The English Impersonal
• It helps to start by thinking of the idea of the
impersonal style.
• In English, particularly in academic English, we
express the impersonal style frequently.
• The main feature of the impersonal style is
that the agent – the person or creature who
is actually DOING the action of the verb – is
obscured.
• Here are some ways we do it:

3. The Passive
• We use the passive (with a form of “to be”
and the past participle).
• Example: The observations were made
carefully.
• BY WHOM? Obviously someone did the
experiment, but this isn’t important.
• What is important is the observations.

4. Intransitives
• We use intransitive verbs (verbs with no direct
object).
• Example: The incident occurred on Tuesday.
• NOW WHO EXACTLY DID WHAT?
• Well it’s not important. The incident is
important – though clearly we understand
that the incident could only come about by
somebody doing something

5. Impersonal Pronouns
• We use impersonal pronouns.
• Example: One should consider the
ramifications of the decision.
• WHO EXACTLY IS THAT ONE? Again, one
generally means anyone.

6. The Pronoun “Se”
• Spanish uses the word se to express much of
what we express by the impersonal style in
English.
• It’s all over Spanish academic prose and it’s
used in many different ways.

7. Example
• Al proceso de colonización se sumó la
participación de los misioneros franciscanos
desde 1554, y de los jesuitas en el siglo XVII,
cuando el actual estado de Chihuahua estaba
constituido en su parte suroeste por lo que se
conocía como la región de Chínipas, mientras
que el resto del territorio se dividía entre la
Alta y Baja Tarahumara

8. The Easy Ones First
• The easiest forms of “se” are those that can be
translated as simple passives (depending on the
tense of the verb in either the present or the
past).
• It is important to remember that a passive (in
English) MUST, MUST, MUST have a form of “to
be” and a past participle of another verb.
• Example: was known/ is known/are known/were
known/ was divided/ is divided/ are divided/
were divided.

9. Examples
• was known/ is known/are known/were known/
was divided/ is divided/ are divided/ were
divided.
• Nothing is known (by anyone) about his death.
• The book was divided (by someone) into three
useless parts.
• Note: We often don’t use the “by phrase” to
explain who actually was the agent of the verb –
the one who did the knowing/dividing.

10. Se to show the Passive
• Se + verb in 3rd person singular/plural can be
used to express the passive in a situation
where the agent is not important (in other
words, where a “by-phrase” would not be
used).
• lo que se conocía como la región de Chínipas .
..
• el resto del territorio se dividía entre la Alta y
Baja Tarahumara

11. Se and the Intransitives
• It’s important to note that in Spanish it is
perfectly possible to put the SUBJECT of an
intransitive verb AFTER the verb (rather than
before it).
• This is true whether the intransitive is formed
with “se” or without it.

12. Steps in Translation
• Al proceso de colonización se sumó la
participación de los misioneros franciscanos.

13. Step 1
• 1. Find the verb. Identify tense and try to find
the infinitive.
• Al proceso de colonización se sumó la
participación de los misioneros franciscanos.

14. Answer
• 1. Sumó. Past tense. Probable infinitive:
sumar.
• Al proceso de colonización se sumó la
participación de los misioneros franciscanos.

15. Step 2
• 2. Look up the verb in the dictionary. While
there check for two other things:
• A. A version of the verb with “se” attached to
the end.
• B. The required use of a preposition after the
verb. This will definitely indicate an
intransitive verb.

16. Answer
• 2. Sumar: To add. Sumarse a (to join).

17. Step 3.
• Exercise some caution. Just because a verb is
transitive in English (as “join” often is), does
not mean it will be in Spanish.
• Remember too that intransitive verbs in
Spanish often move the subject to a position
AFTER the verb.

18. Step 4
• 4. Translate the verb.

19. Answer
• 4. se sumó = joined.

20. Step 5.
• 5. Begin the hunt for the subject. Start to the
left of the verb. Discard anything that is not
logical or not grammatical. In Spanish, as in
English, a prepositional phrase cannot be the
subject.
• Al proceso de colonización | se sumó
• Could “to the process of colonization” be the
subject of “joined”?

21. Answer
• 5. No! In fact the “a” in “al” may even be the
“a” in sumarse a!

22. Step 6
• 6. Hunt to the right of the verb as well.
Could la participación de los misioneros
franciscanos be the subject of “joined”?
• se sumó | la participación de los misioneros
franciscanos.

23. Answer
• 6. Yes. It would make sense to say the
participation of the Franciscan missionaries
joined (something).

24. Step 7
• 7. Look to the stuff at the left of the verb to
complete the sentence.
• Al proceso de colonización se sumó la
participación de los misioneros franciscanos.
• The participation of the Franciscan
missionaries joined the process of colonization
...

25. Wouldn’t it be nice?
• If only the sentence had been written as --
• la participación de los misioneros franciscanos
se sumó al proceso de colonización. . .