No Hay Tos · Sonoro | Roberto Andrade & Héctor Libreros

Understanding the Impersonal "Se" in Spanish

April 7, 2026·28 min·2 clips

Beto and Héctor explain how the Spanish impersonal 'se' works like 'people' or 'one' in English, using examples from social media to Veracruz.

Se does quiet work in this lesson. The main idea keeps coming back: Spanish can avoid naming a specific subject when the action matters more than the person doing it. First, they set up the show in plain terms. No Hay Tos is for students who want real conversation from two teachers, with grammar, Mexican expressions, interviews, and other material. Then the grammar starts. The impersonal se shows up in examples where English might use a general you, folks, or one, without pointing to one actual person. Live is the anchor verb. They repeat forms like se puede vivir and compare them with uno puede vivir when the speaker wants to include themselves in the group. That difference matters. O sea, the grammar is not just a rule. It changes how close the speaker feels to the sentence. The mood stays loose. They go from translation to correction to quick approval, especially when a phrase like ahí se ven sounds useful in real speech. Then the example gets heavier. A sentence about a gay man not being able to live just anywhere opens up a cultural check on safety, visibility, and judgment. One host is more optimistic. The other pushes back and says that even in Mexico City, two men or two women holding hands can still be read badly in some places. They name specific places. Venustiano Carranza, Azcapotzalco, Puebla, and Veracruz become examples of how context can change the social weight of a simple sentence. The grammar still does its job. Se puede vivir is the target, but the example shows how impersonal phrasing can carry assumptions underneath. They do not chase textbook purity. They keep asking what people would actually say, whether it sounds natural, and whether the sentence includes the speaker. By the end, they classify the form directly: impersonal, intransitive se, with a nod to reflexive and reciprocal forms that can trip learners up. So, bueno, it is grammar class. It just feels like sitting with two teachers who let the rule get a little messy because real Spanish is messy too.

As heard by us

A grounded No Hay Tos grammar lesson on impersonal se, carried by real examples and natural Mexican Spanish conversation.

No Hay Tos turns the impersonal se into usable classroom Spanish, with Beto and Hector treating it as a structure listeners can recognize in ordinary speech rather than a grammar label to file away.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from No Hay Tos