English has a whole family of vague, generic subjects: one ("one never knows"), generic you ("you can't smoke here"), generic they ("they say it'll rain"), and people ("people don't do that"). Romanian collapses all of these into a single construction: the impersonal se. Learning to reach for se instead of translating "people" as oamenii or "you" as tu is one of the fastest ways to start sounding like a native speaker rather than a translator.
What the impersonal se is
The impersonal se attaches to a verb in the third person to make a statement that applies to no one in particular — and therefore to everyone. There is no subject at all; the action floats free of any doer.
Se spune că vine iarna devreme anul ăsta.
They say winter is coming early this year.
Cum se zice „mulțumesc” în japoneză?
How do you say 'thank you' in Japanese?
Nu se știe încă cine a câștigat.
It isn't known yet who won.
De aici se vede toată valea.
From here you can see the whole valley.
Each of these would, in English, demand a vague subject — they, you, it, one. Romanian needs none. The verb stays in the third person singular and se does all the work.
The set phrases worth memorizing
A handful of impersonal-se expressions are so frequent that you should learn them as fixed building blocks. They are the idiomatic equivalents of English hedges and reports.
| Romanian | English |
|---|---|
| se spune că... | it is said that / they say that |
| se zice că... | they say that / word is that |
| se crede că... | it is believed that |
| se pare că... | it seems that |
| nu se știe | nobody knows / it's unknown |
| se poate | one can / it's possible / maybe |
| nu se poate | that can't be / it's not allowed |
| cum se zice / cum se spune | how do you say |
Se zice că au divorțat, dar nu se știe sigur.
They say they got divorced, but nobody knows for sure.
Se pare că am greșit drumul.
It seems we took the wrong road.
— Putem intra? — Se poate, da.
— Can we come in? — Yes, you can.
The phrase se poate is especially handy: on its own it answers "is it allowed / possible?" with "yes, it's fine", while nu se poate is the standard way to say "no way / that's not allowed / out of the question".
Instructions, norms, and rules of thumb
Because the impersonal se has no subject, it is the natural voice for stating what is generally done, what is proper, and what is forbidden — the language of etiquette, signs, and advice.
La masă nu se vorbește cu gura plină.
You don't talk with your mouth full at the table.
Așa se fac sarmale bune.
That's how you make good sarmale.
Pe stradă nu se aruncă gunoiul.
You don't throw trash on the street.
Notice how English keeps switching subjects — "you don't talk", "that's how you make", "you don't throw" — while Romanian holds steady with se plus a third-person verb each time.
Impersonal se vs passive se
The previous page covered the passive se, and the two are close relatives. The difference is whether there is a patient that becomes the subject.
| Passive se | Impersonal se | |
|---|---|---|
| Patient as subject? | yes | no |
| Verb agreement | agrees with patient (se vând case) | always 3rd singular (se merge) |
| Example | Se vând case. | Se merge pe jos până acolo. |
| Focus | what happens to a thing | what one generally does |
Se vând bilete la intrare.
Tickets are sold at the entrance. (passive — 'bilete' is the subject)
Se merge mult pe jos în orașul ăsta.
One walks a lot in this city. (impersonal — no subject at all)
The clue: if the verb is intransitive (a merge, a dormi, a trăi) there is no patient, so the construction must be impersonal, and the verb stays firmly singular. With a transitive verb and a real patient, it is passive, and the verb agrees.
Aici se trăiește bine.
Life is good here / One lives well here.
Pe căldura asta nu se doarme deloc.
In this heat you can't sleep at all.
Common mistakes
❌ Oamenii spun că vine iarna devreme.
Heavy and literal — natural Romanian uses 'se spune'.
✅ Se spune că vine iarna devreme.
They say winter is coming early.
❌ Cum tu zici „mulțumesc” în japoneză?
Incorrect — generic English 'you' should not become 'tu'.
✅ Cum se zice „mulțumesc” în japoneză?
How do you say 'thank you' in Japanese?
❌ Se merg mult pe jos aici.
Incorrect — impersonal se stays third person singular, never plural.
✅ Se merge mult pe jos aici.
One walks a lot here.
❌ Nu poate să intri acum.
Wrong structure for the generic 'you can't' — use impersonal se.
✅ Nu se poate intra acum.
You can't go in now / It's not allowed to enter now.
Key takeaways
- The impersonal se renders English generic one / you / they / people with a subjectless third-person verb.
- Learn the fixed phrases: se spune că, se zice că, se pare că, nu se știe, se poate / nu se poate.
- Unlike the passive se, the impersonal se has no subject and stays third person singular — even with plural-sounding meanings.
- Resist translating "people" as oamenii or generic "you" as tu; se is almost always the idiomatic choice.
Now practice Romanian
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Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- The Reflexive Passive (se-passive)B1 — Why se + verb is the default passive in everyday Romanian, how the verb agrees with the patient, and when to prefer it over the 'a fi' passive.
- Impersonal and Defective Verbs OverviewB1 — Verbs that live only in the 3rd person singular with no personal subject — weather verbs, trebuie, există, pare — and why Romanian uses no dummy 'it' the way English does.
- The Middle Voice and Spontaneous Events (se)B2 — How se marks the middle voice — spontaneous, agentless change where the subject simply undergoes the event — and how it differs from the passive-se and the true reflexive.
- Reciprocal Verbs (each other)B1 — How Romanian uses the plural reflexive clitics ne, vă, and se to express 'each other', and how to disambiguate from true reflexives.
- Reflexive Verbs: An IntroductionA2 — How Romanian reflexive verbs work, the accusative and dative clitic series, and why so many verbs are obligatorily reflexive.