The Impersonal and Passive "se" in the Past
You already know how to use se to talk generally about how things are done (impersonal) or to say that something is done without mentioning exactly who does it (passive). When talking about history, traditions, and manufacturing, you will naturally need to use this structure in the past.
To do this, simply use se followed by the verb in either the imperfect or the preterite tense.
Use the imperfect tense to describe how things used to be made, ongoing processes, or general habits in the past.
| In the past, everything was produced in an artisanal way in the workshop. | Antiguamente, todo se producía de manera artesanal en el taller. |
| Before, the fabric used to be manufactured with manual labor and a lot of thread. | Antes, la tela se fabricaba con trabajo manual y mucho hilo. |
Use the preterite tense when talking about a specific event that was completed at a clear point in time, such as an invention or a one-time purchase.
| A century ago, a lot of iron and coal was bought for the factory. | Hace un siglo se compró mucho hierro y carbón para la fábrica. |
| A year ago, local iron was exported for the first time. | Hace un año, el hierro local se exportó por primera vez. |
Just like in other past narratives, these two tenses frequently work together. The imperfect describes the ongoing background situation or routine, while the preterite steps in for a specific, completed action.
| People used to work a lot until the machine was invented. | Se trabajaba mucho hasta que se inventó la máquina. |