Question 1

Why do we say se fuma instead of just no fumas or no fuman?

Accepted Answer

This uses the impersonal se to state a general rule. Instead of saying "you don't smoke" or "they don't smoke," se fuma means "one doesn't smoke" or "people don't smoke." It's the most natural way to say "No smoking" in Spanish.

Question 2

Why is the first verb singular (fuma) but the second verb is plural (permiten)?

Accepted Answer

When you use se with a specific noun to say what is or isn't allowed, the verb must match that noun. Because mascotas (pets) is plural, the verb must be the plural permiten (literally: pets are not permitted). For fuma, there is no noun following it, so the verb defaults to the singular "it" form.

Question 3

Why does mascotas come after the verb (se permiten mascotas) instead of before it?

Accepted Answer

In sentences using this se structure to talk about things happening, the noun being acted upon (mascotas) almost always comes after the verb. While English puts the subject first ("pets are not allowed"), Spanish prefers the verb first: no se permiten mascotas.

Question 4

The English translation groups "Smoking and pets" together. Why does the Spanish sentence split them up with two different verbs?

Accepted Answer

In English, we can easily group a noun ("pets") and an action ("smoking") under the same verb phrase ("are not allowed"). Spanish can't mix and match actions and nouns as easily here. Instead, it states two separate rules: literally, "one does not smoke" (no se fuma) and "pets are not permitted" (no se permiten mascotas).

En este hotel no se fuma y no se permiten mascotas.

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