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Se encendieron las luces del salón.

Se encendieron las luces del salón.
The living room lights came on.
From Lesson 361:More about se (se abrió la puerta, se lo di a Ana)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Se encendieron las luces del salón.

Why is the verb plural (encendieron) when we often see se with singular verbs like se habla español?
This sentence uses the passive se construction. The grammatical subject is actually las luces, which is plural. Therefore, the verb must be plural to agree with it, translating to the idea that the lights were turned on.
Why does the verb come before the subject (las luces del salón)?
Placing the verb before the subject is very common in Spanish when using the passive se, or when introducing a new event where the subject isn't actively doing anything. This word order sounds much more natural here than starting the sentence with Las luces del salón.
Could I just say Encendieron las luces del salón without the se?
Yes, but the meaning shifts. Without se, the verb is in the active voice with an unspecified they subject, meaning they turned on the living room lights. Adding se shifts the focus entirely to the lights themselves coming on, removing the human actor from the picture.
What is the difference between encender and encenderse?
Encender is a transitive verb, meaning someone turns something else on, for example Voy a encender la luz. By adding the pronoun to make it encenderse, it functions to show a change of state happening to the subject itself, which is why it translates well to the lights came on.

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