Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Cuándo se ve al monstruo?

¿Cuándo se ve al monstruo?

When does one see the monster?

Breakdown of ¿Cuándo se ve al monstruo?

cuándo

when

ver

to see; to watch (TV, a film)

personal a + the (m)

one, people (impersonal)

Questions & Answers about ¿Cuándo se ve al monstruo?

Why does this sentence use se ve to mean 'does one see'?

This sentence uses the impersonal se. By putting se in front of the third-person singular verb (ve, the he/she/it form), you create a general statement that doesn't refer to a specific person. It is the standard way to say 'one sees' or 'people see' in Spanish.

Why is there an al before monstruo? I thought the personal a was only for people.

You are right that the personal a is mostly for people, but it is also used for pets, named animals, and personified beings. Since a monster is an animate, human-like creature, it gets the personal a. Here, the a combines with el to make the contraction al.

Can this sentence also translate to 'When is the monster seen?'

Yes, exactly! In Spanish, this impersonal se construction is used all the time where English would use the passive voice (like 'is seen' or 'are found'). Both translations work perfectly.

If there were multiple monsters, would the verb change to the plural ven?

No, it would stay as the singular ve. When you use the impersonal se with the personal a (as in se ve a los monstruos), the verb is locked into the singular form. The monsters are the object receiving the action, not the subject doing the seeing.