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Diz-se muita coisa nesta vila.

Diz-se muita coisa nesta vila.
People say a lot of things in this town.
From Lesson 231:Dizem que... (sujeito indeterminado)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Diz-se muita coisa nesta vila.

muito
much / very
a coisa
the thing
dizer
to say
a vila
the small town

Questions & Answers about Diz-se muita coisa nesta vila.

Why does Diz-se translate to "People say" instead of "He says"?
The -se added to the verb creates an impersonal meaning. Literally, it translates to "It is said" or "One says". In natural English, we usually express this general statement as "People say" or "They say".
Why is muita coisa singular if the English translation says "a lot of things"?
In Portuguese, it is very common and idiomatic to use the singular phrase muita coisa (literally "much thing") to refer to "a lot of things". You could technically say muitas coisas, but muita coisa sounds much more natural to native speakers in this context.
Why does the pronoun come after the verb in Diz-se? Could I say Se diz instead?
In European Portuguese, you cannot start a sentence with an attached pronoun. Because the verb is the very first word in the sentence, the pronoun must attach to the end of it with a hyphen. Saying Se diz at the start of a sentence is a Brazilian Portuguese trait.
How does a vila differ from a cidade?
A vila is a town, whereas a cidade is a city. A vila is generally smaller and less populated than a cidade, but larger than an aldeia (a village).

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