Breakdown of Con un buen microscopio se pueden identificar las bacterias.
un
a, an (masculine)
con
with
poder
to be able to / can
bueno
good
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
la bacteria
the bacteria
el microscopio
the microscope
identificar
to identify
Questions & Answers about Con un buen microscopio se pueden identificar las bacterias.
Why is pueden plural here if it is followed by the infinitive identificar?
In Spanish, this is a passive reflexive structure. The true subject of the sentence isn't the person looking through the microscope; it is las bacterias. Because las bacterias is plural, the conjugated verb pueden must also be plural to match it, even though they are separated by the infinitive identificar.
Would it be wrong to say se puede identificar las bacterias?
Yes, it is considered incorrect in standard Spanish. When the noun receiving the action is a non-human plural (las bacterias), it grammatically acts as the subject, so the verb must be plural (pueden). Using the singular puede is a common mistake for English speakers because it feels like a translation of 'one can identify...', but Spanish requires plural agreement in this specific passive structure.
Can I attach se to the end of the infinitive to say pueden identificarse las bacterias?
Absolutely! When you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive, pronouns can either go before the conjugated verb (se pueden identificar) or attached directly to the end of the infinitive (pueden identificarse). Both structures mean exactly the same thing and are completely natural.
Why use this structure instead of the direct translation las bacterias pueden ser identificadas?
You can definitely use that structure, which is the true passive voice, but it sounds quite formal, like something you would read in a textbook or a science journal. In everyday spoken and written Spanish, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer the passive reflexive with se when the person performing the action isn't mentioned.
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