Topics
AdvancedImpersonal Constructions
How languages express actions without a specific agent in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Spanish uses se and third-person plural. English uses it, there, and passive. Chinese drops the subject entirely. Each language has distinct strategies for agentless statements.
Overview
Impersonal constructions express events, states, or obligations without identifying a specific agent.
- Spanish: Uses se (impersonal/reflexive passive), third-person plural (dicen que), impersonal verbs (llueve, hace frío), and hay for existence. The subject is often omitted entirely.
- English: Uses dummy subjects (it, there), passive voice, generic pronouns (you, one, they), and nominalizations. Cannot omit the subject.
- Chinese: Omits the subject entirely when context permits. Uses implicit subjects for weather, time, and general statements. No dummy pronouns.
Spanish
Se + verb (impersonal)
The impersonal se replaces the subject:
- Se habla español. (Spanish is spoken.)
- Se vende coches. (Cars are sold.)
- Se dice que… (It is said that…)
- No se puede fumar. (One cannot smoke. / Smoking is not allowed.)
Note: When the object precedes the verb, se becomes a passive marker:
- El español se habla aquí. (Spanish is spoken here.)
Impersonal verbs
Spanish verbs that only exist in third person:
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| llover | to rain |
| nevar | to snow |
| tronar | to thunder |
| amanecer | to dawn |
| anochecer | to get dark |
| hacer + noun | to be (weather) |
Weather expressions:
- Llueve. (It’s raining.)
- Nieva. (It’s snowing.)
- Hace frío. (It’s cold.)
- Hace calor. (It’s hot.)
- Hace viento. (It’s windy.)
- Hace sol. (It’s sunny.)
Third-person plural for “people”
- Dicen que… (They say that… / People say that…)
- En mi país comen tarde. (In my country, people eat late.)
- Aquí bailan mucho. (Here they dance a lot.)
Hay / estar for existence
- Hay un problema. (There is a problem.)
- Hay mucha gente. (There are many people.)
- No hay solución. (There is no solution.)
Impersonal expressions
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| es necesario que | it is necessary that |
| es importante que | it is important that |
| es posible que | it is possible that |
| hay que + infinitive | one must |
| conviene que | it is advisable that |
| falta / sobra | there is lacking / there is excess |
Se hace / se está haciendo
- Se hace tarde. (It’s getting late.)
- Se está haciendo tarde. (It’s getting late [progressive].)
English
Dummy it
English requires it for weather, time, and distance:
- It is raining.
- It is snowing.
- It is cold.
- It is 5 o’clock.
- It is Tuesday.
- It is a long way to Tipperary.
Dummy there
There introduces existence:
- There is a problem.
- There are many people.
- There is no solution.
- There seems to be a mistake.
- There appears to be an error.
Generic you / one / they
- You can’t smoke here. (general rule)
- One must be careful. (formal, generic)
- They say he’s rich. (unspecified people)
- People say he’s rich. (explicit generic)
Passive for agent deletion
- Spanish is spoken here. (by unspecified people)
- The car was stolen. (by someone unknown)
- It is believed that… (people believe that…)
- It is known that… (everyone knows that…)
Impersonal it + adjective + to-infinitive
- It is important to study.
- It is necessary to leave.
- It is easy to learn.
- It is difficult to say.
It seems / appears / happens
- It seems that he left.
- It appears that we were wrong.
- It happens that I know him.
Cleft it
- It was John who broke the window.
- It is here that we met.
Chinese
Subject omission (most common)
Chinese simply omits the subject when it is understood:
Weather:
- 下雨了。(Raining. — “It’s raining.”)
- 下雪了。(Snowing.)
- 很冷。(Very cold. — “It’s cold.”)
- 天气热。(Weather hot.)
Time:
- 八点了。(Eight o’clock.)
- 明天星期一。(Tomorrow Monday.)
Obligation:
- 要走了。(Need to go.)
- 该吃饭了。(Time to eat.)
据说 / 听说 (it is said)
- 据说他很有钱。(It is said that he is rich.)
- 听说下雨了。(I heard it’s raining.)
好像 / 似乎 (it seems)
- 好像要下雨。(It seems like it’s going to rain.)
- 似乎没有问题。(It seems there is no problem.)
有 for existence
- 有问题。(There is a problem.)
- 没有办法。(There is no solution.)
- 有很多人。(There are many people.)
被 passive (agentless)
- 车被偷了。(The car was stolen. — agent unknown)
- 中文在这里被人说。(Chinese is spoken here.)
禁止 / 不许 (prohibition)
- 禁止吸烟。(Smoking prohibited.)
- 不许停车。(No parking.)
- 请勿触摸。(Do not touch.)
让 / 叫 for impersonal causative
- 让我想想。(Let me think.)
- 叫人怎么说？(What can one say?)
Comparison at a glance
| Construction | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Llueve / Nieva | It rains / It snows | 下雨 / 下雪 |
| Time | Son las tres | It is three o’clock | 三点了 |
| Temperature | Hace frío | It is cold | 很冷 |
| Existence | Hay un problema | There is a problem | 有问题 |
| Obligation | Hay que estudiar | One must study | 要学习 |
| General statement | Se dice que | It is said that | 据说 |
| Prohibition | No se puede fumar | Smoking is forbidden | 禁止吸烟 |
| Dummy subject | None (subject omitted) | It / There | None (subject omitted) |
Examples in context
It’s raining
- ES: Llueve.
- EN: It’s raining.
- ZH: 下雨了。
There is a problem
- ES: Hay un problema.
- EN: There is a problem.
- ZH: 有问题。
It is said that he is rich
- ES: Se dice que es rico.
- EN: It is said that he is rich.
- ZH: 据说他很有钱。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Using ello/esto for weather: Ello llueve → Llueve
-
English speakers learning Chinese: Using 它 for weather: 它下雨了 → 下雨了
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Omitting it: Is raining → It is raining
-
Chinese speakers learning English: Omitting there/it: Has a problem → There is a problem
Related topics
- Existence: How existence is expressed
- Passive: How agentless passives work
- Ellipsis: How subjects are omitted
- Topic-Comment: How Chinese structures information without explicit subjects
Examples
It is raining
Llueve / Está lloviendo
One must study
Hay que estudiar / Se debe estudiar
They say / People say
Se dice / Dicen que
It seems that
Parece que
There is no solution
No hay solución
It is forbidden to smoke
Está prohibido fumar / No se puede fumar
It is cold
Hace frío / Está frío
Agent deletion strategy
Se + verb / Impersonal plural
Examples
It is raining
It is raining
One must study
One must study / You have to study
They say / People say
They say / People say / It is said
It seems that
It seems that / It appears that
There is no solution
There is no solution
It is forbidden to smoke
Smoking is forbidden / No smoking
It is cold
It is cold
Agent deletion strategy
Passive / It/There placeholder / Generic you/one
Examples
It is raining
下雨了
One must study
要学习 / 必须学习
They say / People say
听说 / 据说
It seems that
好像 / 似乎
There is no solution
没有办法
It is forbidden to smoke
不许抽烟 / 禁止吸烟
It is cold
很冷 / 天气冷
Agent deletion strategy
Subject omission / 被 passive / implicit agent
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is raining | Llueve / Está lloviendo | It is raining | 下雨了 |
| One must study | Hay que estudiar / Se debe estudiar | One must study / You have to study | 要学习 / 必须学习 |
| They say / People say | Se dice / Dicen que | They say / People say / It is said | 听说 / 据说 |
| It seems that | Parece que | It seems that / It appears that | 好像 / 似乎 |
| There is no solution | No hay solución | There is no solution | 没有办法 |
| It is forbidden to smoke | Está prohibido fumar / No se puede fumar | Smoking is forbidden / No smoking | 不许抽烟 / 禁止吸烟 |
| It is cold | Hace frío / Está frío | It is cold | 很冷 / 天气冷 |
| Agent deletion strategy | Se + verb / Impersonal plural | Passive / It/There placeholder / Generic you/one | Subject omission / 被 passive / implicit agent |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is raining | Llueve / Está lloviendo | It is raining | 下雨了 |
| One must study | Hay que estudiar / Se debe estudiar | One must study / You have to study | 要学习 / 必须学习 |
| They say / People say | Se dice / Dicen que | They say / People say / It is said | 听说 / 据说 |
| It seems that | Parece que | It seems that / It appears that | 好像 / 似乎 |
| There is no solution | No hay solución | There is no solution | 没有办法 |
| It is forbidden to smoke | Está prohibido fumar / No se puede fumar | Smoking is forbidden / No smoking | 不许抽烟 / 禁止吸烟 |
| It is cold | Hace frío / Está frío | It is cold | 很冷 / 天气冷 |
| Agent deletion strategy | Se + verb / Impersonal plural | Passive / It/There placeholder / Generic you/one | Subject omission / 被 passive / implicit agent |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
It is raining
Spanish
Llueve / Está lloviendo
English
It is raining
Chinese
下雨了
One must study
Spanish
Hay que estudiar / Se debe estudiar
English
One must study / You have to study
Chinese
要学习 / 必须学习
They say / People say
Spanish
Se dice / Dicen que
English
They say / People say / It is said
Chinese
听说 / 据说
It seems that
Spanish
Parece que
English
It seems that / It appears that
Chinese
好像 / 似乎
There is no solution
Spanish
No hay solución
English
There is no solution
Chinese
没有办法
It is forbidden to smoke
Spanish
Está prohibido fumar / No se puede fumar
English
Smoking is forbidden / No smoking
Chinese
不许抽烟 / 禁止吸烟
It is cold
Spanish
Hace frío / Está frío
English
It is cold
Chinese
很冷 / 天气冷
Agent deletion strategy
Spanish
Se + verb / Impersonal plural
English
Passive / It/There placeholder / Generic you/one
Chinese
Subject omission / 被 passive / implicit agent
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Uses se (impersonal/reflexive passive), third-person plural (dicen que), impersonal verbs (llueve, hace frío), and hay for existence. The su...
English: Uses dummy subjects (it, there), passive voice, generic pronouns (you, one, they), and nominalizations. Cannot omit the subject.
Chinese: Omits the subject entirely when context permits. Uses implicit subjects for weather, time, and general statements. No dummy pronouns.
Key concepts compared: It is raining, One must study, They say / People say.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026