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Sophisticated passive and impersonal structures used in formal, legal, and academic Spanish. Use this page to study the core Spanish words, English meanings, part-of-speech labels, and example sentences for this topic.
Review each word with examples and usage notes where available.
Se considera que el acuerdo es vinculante.
The agreement is considered to be binding.
Impersonal se + verbs of opinion/belief: se considera, se estima, se entiende, se supone que.
Se acordó aplazar la reunión hasta el martes.
It was agreed to postpone the meeting until Tuesday.
"Se acordó + infinitivo" = formal decision record. Common in minutes and official documents.
Queda prohibido el uso de dispositivos móviles.
The use of mobile devices is hereby prohibited.
"Quedar + participio" in legal/official announcements. Implies a decree that takes immediate effect.
Resulta evidente que el sistema falla.
It proves evident that the system is failing.
"Resultar" as impersonal verb is more formal than "ser" for presenting conclusions: resulta claro, resulta necesario.
A juzgar por los datos, la tendencia es positiva.
Judging by the data, the trend is positive.
Absolute construction (no conjugated verb). Equivalent to "si juzgamos por" but more concise and formal.
Dicho esto, pasemos al siguiente punto.
Having said this, let us move on to the next point.
Absolute participial construction. "Dicho esto" = common discourse connector in speeches and formal writing.
Visto que no hay acuerdo, se pospone la decisión.
Given that there is no agreement, the decision is postponed.
"Visto que" is an absolute construction used in legal and administrative texts to state the grounds for a decision.
Se viene observando que los precios aumentan cada año.
It has been observed that prices increase every year.
"Venir + gerundio" in the impersonal se construction = an ongoing trend or repeated observation over time.
Cabe esperar que los resultados mejoren.
It is to be expected that the results will improve.
"Caber + infinitivo" constructions are formal hedges: cabe señalar, cabe añadir, cabe preguntarse si.
Sin perjuicio de lo anterior, se aplicará la normativa vigente.
Without prejudice to the above, current regulations will apply.
Legal boilerplate. Means the preceding point does not nullify what follows. Very common in contracts and legislation.