Learn Spanish (Spain): Dicen que el bricolaje es muy útil.

Using the third-person plural without a subject pronoun is a common way to express an impersonal idea in Spanish, similar to the general 'People say...' or 'They say...' in English. Adding ellos would make it refer to a specific group of people rather than a general consensus.

Why does this sentence use the indicative es instead of the subjunctive sea after dicen que?

When verbs of communication like decir are used to report a fact or declare information, the following verb stays in the indicative. You only use the subjunctive after decir if it is expressing an order or influence, such as telling someone to do something.

What kind of activities does el bricolaje cover?

El bricolaje is the standard term in Spain for home improvement, amateur woodworking, and general DIY projects around the house. It is a loanword from French that perfectly captures the idea of doing manual repairs yourself.

Why do we need the article el before bricolaje when the English translation just says 'DIY'?

In Spanish, when you talk about a concept, abstract noun, or activity in a general sense, you must include the definite article. Because we are making a broad statement about DIY as a whole category, the article el is grammatically required.