Breakdown of En esta muestra se pueden distinguir unos microorganismos raros.
en
in / on / at
unos
some (masculine)
poder
to be able to / can
esta
this (feminine)
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
raro
rare
la muestra
sample
distinguir
to distinguish
el microorganismo
the microorganism
Questions & Answers about En esta muestra se pueden distinguir unos microorganismos raros.
Why is the verb pueden in the plural form here?
In this passive reflexive structure, se indicates that something "can be done." The thing receiving the action is actually the grammatical subject of the sentence. Since the subject here is unos microorganismos raros (which is plural), the modal verb must also be plural (pueden), even though it is followed by the infinitive distinguir.
Why does the subject (unos microorganismos raros) come after the verb phrase?
In passive sentences with se, it is very common and natural in Spanish to place the subject after the verb. You could technically say unos microorganismos raros se pueden distinguir, but putting the subject at the end flows much better, especially when introducing new information about what was found.
Could the pronoun se be placed somewhere else in this sentence?
Yes! When working with a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like pueden distinguir), pronouns can either go right before the conjugated verb or get attached to the end of the infinitive. So, it is perfectly correct to say pueden distinguirse instead of se pueden distinguir.
Does raros mean "rare" (scarce) or "weird" in this context?
It can mean both. While raro is the direct translation of "rare" or "uncommon," it is also heavily used in everyday Spanish to mean "strange" or "weird." In the context of a scientific muestra (sample), it could mean the microorganisms are scarce, or simply that they look unusual.
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