Breakdown of Se dice que el romance desató un escándalo.
un
a, an (masculine)
que
that / than
decir
to say, to tell
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
el escándalo
the scandal
el romance
the romance
desatar
to unleash
Questions & Answers about Se dice que el romance desató un escándalo.
Why does se dice que trigger the indicative desató instead of the subjunctive?
The phrase se dice que reports a claim, fact, or rumor. Because it just passes along information without inherently expressing doubt, denial, or emotion (unlike a phrase such as se duda que, which means "it is doubted that"), it is followed by the indicative mood.
Is se dice considered the impersonal se or the passive se in this sentence?
It acts as an impersonal expression here. Even though we translate it using the passive English "It is said," the Spanish structure followed by a que clause has no specific grammatical subject. It simply means that people in general say it, much like "They say that..."
The verb desató translates to "unleashed." What is its literal meaning?
Why is the preterite tense used for desató instead of the imperfect?
Unleashing a scandal is a sudden event that marks the start of the chaos. The preterite desató captures this one-time completed action. Using the imperfect would mean the romance "was unleashing" a scandal over an undefined continuous period in the past, which sounds unnatural for the initial breaking of a scandal.
Learn Se dice que el romance desató un escándalo and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free