Breakdown of El problema se resuelve cuando se castigan estas acciones.
el problema
the problem
estas
these (feminine)
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
cuando
when (statement)
la acción
the action
resolver
to solve
castigar
to punish
Questions & Answers about El problema se resuelve cuando se castigan estas acciones.
Why is the first verb singular (se resuelve) but the second verb is plural (se castigan)?
In the reflexive passive (pasiva refleja), the verb must agree with the thing being acted upon because that thing is grammatically the subject. In the first half, the subject is el problema (singular), so we use se resuelve. In the second half, the subject is estas acciones (plural), so the verb must be plural: se castigan.
Why is the subject estas acciones placed after the verb se castigan?
In Spanish, when using the reflexive passive, it is very common and natural to place the subject after the verb. This emphasizes the action rather than the thing being acted upon. You could say cuando estas acciones se castigan, but cuando se castigan estas acciones flows better and is the standard word order.
Many learners accidentally say se castiga estas acciones. Why is that wrong?
It is a common mix-up between the reflexive passive and the impersonal se. If the verb is followed by a plural noun that receives the action, that noun is the subject. Therefore, the verb must be plural to match estas acciones. You would only use the singular se castiga if the subject were singular (like se castiga esta acción) or if you were talking about specific people using the personal a (like se castiga a los culpables).
Could I translate this using the passive with ser, like el problema es resuelto?
Yes, grammatically you could say El problema es resuelto cuando estas acciones son castigadas. However, the reflexive passive with se is heavily preferred in everyday Spanish. The passive with ser sounds much more formal, rigid, or like a direct translation from English, whereas se resuelve sounds perfectly natural for a general statement.
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