B1 · Reflexive verbs · about 4 minutes
Impersonal se: vende-se
The verb agrees with the thing sold: vende-se casa, vendem-se casas.
Do you know this already?
“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need2
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- alugarto rent
- o fumothe smoke
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary
Understand
Remembera gente means we and conjugates like he.
- Signal words
- fala-se
- vende-se
- come-se
- a gente
- dizem
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) person ending
| Portuguese is spoken here | fala-se português |
| several languages are spoken here | falam-se várias línguas |
| house for sale | vende-se casa |
| houses for sale | vendem-se casas |
| the food is good here | come-se bem aqui |
| we are going | a gente vai |
| they say it will rain | dizem que vai chover |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
se with no subject means « one ».
Come-se muito bem neste sítio.The food is very good in this place.
With a plural the verb goes in the plural.
Vendem-se apartamentos.Flats for sale.
a gente is the colloquial version.
A gente vai ao cinema hoje.We are going to the cinema today.
A third person plural with no subject does the same.
Dizem que o restaurante é bom.They say the restaurant is good.
Example sentences
Aluga-se quarto, com direito a cozinha.Room to let, kitchen included.
Aqui não se fuma.No smoking here.
A gente encontra-se às oito.We are meeting at eight.
1 more example sentences
Como se diz isto em português?How do you say this in Portuguese?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
A gente means « we » and takes the *singular*: a gente vai, not a gente vamos. It is a noun — literally « the people » — and behaves like one. English has the same trap in miniature with « the team is » against « the team are », so the idea is familiar even if the word is not.
Quick check
A warm-up: 2 questions, answered straight away. They do not count towards your progress.
Practise
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Now write it yourself3 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
Your progress
What your lesson on this topic shows:
The lesson decides this, not a button: passed at 80% on the first try, mastered when you pass it again on another day.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Fala-se português means « Portuguese is spoken here » or « one speaks Portuguese ». There is no subject.
If a noun is there, the verb agrees with it: vende-se casa, but vendem-se casas. This is the part worth slowing down for, because English hides the same choice behind a passive: « a house is sold » and « houses are sold » agree too, and nobody thinks about it. Here the agreement is with a noun that comes after the verb and does not look like a subject, which is why native speakers themselves often skip it in speech. In writing it is the rule.
Not the same construction, but close to it in conversation, is a gente: a gente fala português means « we speak Portuguese » and takes the singular.
And a third person plural with no subject does the same job: dizem que vai chover — « they say it is going to rain », exactly the English trick with an unidentified « they ».
The verbs on this page, in every form: ser · dizer · ir · vender · encontrar · comer