Se dice que el museo abrirá el año que viene.It is said that the museum will open next year.

When the speaker doesn't know or doesn't want to name who made a claim, Spanish can put se before a verb of saying, thinking or knowing and follow it with a que-clause. It is the standard way to report general opinion, rumours and expectations, especially in news and formal writing. For the underlying construction, see passive and impersonal se.

Quick shortcut: se + third person singular + que + clause. Se dice que…, Se cree que…, Se sabe que…, Se espera que…. The verb stays singular, whatever the clause says.

The pattern: se + verb in the third person singular + que

The que-clause is the thing said, thought or known, so the verb in front of it has nothing to agree with and stays singular:

  • Se dice que hay problemas en la empresa. (It is said that there are problems at the company.)
  • Se cree que el accidente fue causado por el hielo. (It is believed that the accident was caused by the ice.)
  • Se sabe que los precios subirán. (It is known that prices will rise.)
  • Se calcula que asistieron unas mil personas. (It is estimated that about a thousand people attended.)

Verbs that work well here include decir, creer, saber, afirmar, asegurar, estimar, calcular, rumorear, suponer, esperar, temer, prever, informar. The tense can change freely: Se decía que… (It used to be said that…), Se dijo que… (It was said that…).

Compare this with passive se before a noun, where the verb does agree (Se dicen muchas cosas, "Many things are said"). Before a que-clause, there is no plural noun to agree with, so ❌ Se dicen que… is a mistake.

Which mood in the que-clause?

The mood follows the main verb, just as it would without se:

  • Verbs of saying, believing and knowing present the clause as information, so they take the indicative: Se cree que es verdad. (It is believed to be true.)
  • Verbs of wishing, fearing or hoping for an outcome usually take the subjunctive: Se espera que llegue pronto. (It is hoped that he'll arrive soon.) Se teme que haya más víctimas. (It is feared that there will be more victims.) When esperar means "predict" rather than "hope", the indicative can also appear (Se espera que llegará pronto), but the subjunctive is the usual choice.
  • A negated belief or knowledge verb moves to the subjunctive: No se cree que sea verdad. (It is not believed to be true.) See subjunctive after doubt and denial.

When the claim is about a specific person, Spanish uses the impersonal se from the earlier article with the pronoun that stands for that person, and the verb takes a complement instead of a que-clause:

  • Se le considera el mejor jugador del mundo. (He is considered the best player in the world.)
  • Se la acusa de fraude. (She is accused of fraud.)
  • Se les conoce como los hermanos Marx. (They are known as the Marx Brothers.)

Here the verb stays singular, and the pronoun (le, la, les) shows who the claim is about. For things, the plain passive se pattern is used instead.

Choosing between se dice que, dicen que and según

  • Se dice que… is neutral and impersonal, with no hint of who says it, and suits writing.
  • Dicen que… (third person plural, "they say") is the common spoken version, and it feels like hearsay from other people: Dicen que va a llover.
  • Según + source names the source: Según el periódico, el museo abrirá en mayo.

Unconfirmed news is often reported with the conditional: El presidente habría dimitido. (The president has reportedly resigned.) See the conditional perfect.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ Se dicen que hay problemas. → ✅ Se dice que hay problemas. (before a que-clause the verb stays in the third person singular.)
  • ❌ Se acusan a los directivos de fraude. → ✅ Se acusa a los directivos de fraude. (the personal a marks the people as a direct object, so the verb stays singular.)
  • ❌ No se cree que es verdad. → ✅ No se cree que sea verdad. (a negated belief verb takes the subjunctive.)

Quick check

  1. Complete: Se ___ (decir) que hay muchos problemas en la ciudad.
  2. Complete: Se espera que el tren ___ (llegar) a las ocho.
  3. Which is correct: Se creen que es verdad or Se cree que es verdad?
  4. How would you say "She is accused of fraud" with impersonal se?
  5. What is the difference between Se dice que va a llover and Dicen que va a llover?
Show answers
  1. dice: the verb stays singular before a que-clause.
  2. llegue: esperar in the sense of "hope" usually takes the subjunctive.
  3. Se cree que es verdad. A que-clause is not a plural subject, so the verb stays singular.
  4. Se la acusa de fraude.
  5. Both mean "they say it's going to rain". Se dice que is neutral and suits writing, while dicen que is the usual spoken version and sounds more like hearsay.

Key takeaways

  • Se + a verb of saying, thinking or knowing in the third person singular + que reports a claim without naming its source: Se dice que…, Se cree que….
  • The verb stays singular before a que-clause: ❌ Se dicen que, ✅ Se dice que.
  • Verbs of saying and knowing take the indicative, and verbs of wishing or fearing (Se espera que, Se teme que) and negated belief verbs take the subjunctive.
  • Claims about a specific person use a related but separate construction, impersonal se with a pronoun and a complement: Se le considera el mejor.
  • Dicen que is the common spoken version, según names a source, and the conditional reports unconfirmed news.