what is it?
The impersonal third-person plural is a construction in which a verb is used in the third-person plural with no explicit subject to refer to an unspecified person or group of people — equivalent to English «people say», «they say», or «someone». The speaker does not know, or does not wish to name, who is responsible for the action. This is the everyday Spanish alternative to a passive construction, and it is used even when only a single unknown person performed the action.
when to use it
Reporting general opinion or rumour. When something is widely said or believed but no specific source is identified: dicen que va a llover mañana (people say it is going to rain tomorrow).
Reporting an action by an unknown agent. When something happened to you or someone else but the doer is unknown: me robaron la cartera (my wallet was stolen / someone stole my wallet).
Announcing an unidentified caller or visitor. When someone whose identity is not yet known is at the door or on the phone: llaman a la puerta (someone is knocking at the door).
Replacing the passive voice. Spanish strongly prefers this construction over the ser + past participle passive when the agent is unknown or irrelevant.
formation
The construction is simply the third-person plural form of any tense with no subject pronoun. Any tense can be used; the table below shows the most common ones with the verb decir as a model.
| tense | third-person plural form | example |
|---|---|---|
| present | dicen | Dicen que está cerrado. |
| preterite | dijeron | Dijeron que no había problema. |
| imperfect | decían | Decían que era muy difícil. |
| future | dirán | Dirán que no es verdad. |
The same pattern applies to any verb: llaman, robaron, venden, etc. The verb agrees with its grammatical object only when that object is a direct-object noun — the verb itself stays in the third-person plural regardless.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Forcing a ser-passive. Learners who translate directly from English often produce «*mi cartera fue robada». While not always ungrammatical, this sounds unnatural in everyday speech. The preferred form is «me robaron la cartera».
Adding ellos. Writing «ellos dicen que…» is grammatically correct but changes the meaning: it points at a specific, identifiable group. The impersonal reading requires the bare form «dicen que…» with no subject pronoun.
Using the singular for an unknown agent. When the caller or visitor is unidentified, the singular «*llama a la puerta» implies a known, specific person. To express that someone unknown is at the door, use the plural: «llaman a la puerta».
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Espera aquí con el equipaje — te ___ desde la recepción cuando la habitación esté lista. (llamar)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.