Breakdown of Se escucha un ruido extraño por el altavoz.
un
a, an (masculine)
escuchar
to listen
el ruido
the noise
extraño
strange
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
el altavoz
the loudspeaker
Questions & Answers about Se escucha un ruido extraño por el altavoz.
Why do we use se escucha here instead of the direct translation es escuchado?
While es escuchado (the true passive voice) is grammatically correct, it sounds very formal and unnatural in everyday Spanish. The pasiva refleja (reflexive passive) using se plus the third-person verb is the standard, natural way to say that something is done when the person doing the action isn't specified or doesn't matter.
If there were multiple noises, would the verb change?
Yes! In the reflexive passive, the thing being acted upon is technically the subject of the sentence. Since un ruido extraño is singular, the verb is the singular escucha. If it were strange noises, the sentence would be Se escuchan unos ruidos extraños. The verb must always agree with the noun being acted upon.
Why is por used for the English word over? Could I just use en?
You need to use por here because it expresses the medium, route, or channel through which something travels, which is perfect for sound traveling through a device. Using en el altavoz would sound more like the noise is physically located on top of the speaker itself, rather than being transmitted through it.
Are there other common words for speaker in Latin America besides altavoz?
Definitely. While altavoz is understood everywhere, you will very frequently hear parlante (especially in South America) or bocina (very common in Mexico and Central America) to refer to an electronic speaker.
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