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Toda la ropa se hacía de manera manual con este hilo.

Toda la ropa se hacía de manera manual con este hilo.
All the clothing used to be made manually with this thread.
From Lesson 171:Past impersonal and passive (se)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Toda la ropa se hacía de manera manual con este hilo.

Why do we use the imperfect tense hacía here instead of the preterite hizo?
We use the imperfect tense because making the clothing was a habitual, ongoing process in the past. It translates to 'used to be made' or 'was made (regularly)'. If we used the preterite se hizo, it would mean the clothing was made just once, as a completed event.
Is se hacía an example of the impersonal or the passive se?
This is the passive se, which is used when there is a specific thing receiving the action. Here, the verb hacía must match the singular noun la ropa (the clothing). If we were talking about plural objects like los zapatos (the shoes), the verb would change to plural: se hacían.
Why is it Toda la ropa (singular) when 'all the clothes' is usually plural in English?
In Spanish, ropa is a collective singular noun, much like 'clothing' or 'apparel' in English. Even when referring to a huge pile of shirts and pants, you almost always use the singular form la ropa.
Can I use manualmente instead of de manera manual?
Yes, manualmente is perfectly fine and means the exact same thing. However, Spanish speakers very often use the phrase de manera (in a manner or way) plus an adjective to describe how something is done. It often sounds more natural and elegant than piling up long words that end in -mente.

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