Here is another construction we see on signs.
"se habla español" or "se habla español aquí"
I understand this translates to "Spanish is spoken" and "Spanish is spoken here". Since the "actor" (the speaker) is unknown in this sentence, it is appropriate to use the passive voice. Is that why we use 'se'?
se habla español

Robert-C7
December 3, 2014

Steven-W15
December 3, 2014
Exacto.

Robert-C7
December 3, 2014
Thank you for the confirmation.

Tom--222
December 4, 2014
I saw on a sign this morning "C habla español". I guess they ran out of s's and e's.

Dan-H24
December 5, 2014
Similar, I suppose to a sign on the door of a house in Spain in a video I was watching: Se Vende. For Sale. It illustrates for me that a more formal, complete statement can be shortened to its essence in Spanish as well as English.

Ava Dawn
December 5, 2014
I like this type of sharing. Please continue doing it. Muchas gracias. Steven W15, would love to hear multiple sentences from you. You know a lot. I would like to hear more of your issues when you were beginning to learn Spanish. Maybe, I can learn more from you. Maybe your being proficient in French made it easier for you to do Spanish. I am learning a lot from Peter C7, Dan H24, Rich, Christian and many others.

Steven-W15
December 5, 2014
Hi Aurora. I initially thought I would learn Spanish "on the backstroke" because I knew French. It does help a lot (esp. with verb tenses) but nowhere near like I hoped. Like Dan had mentioned once, I thought that it would maybe take me a year to be fluent... ;-)
For the first few years, I just listened and responded to audio while I was walking. It wasn't until I started the Platinum level and went through all the different parts of the lesson that I really saw a big improvement. Now I am transitioning out of Rocket Spanish, just doing the "Play It" at the native level and watching movies in Spanish. I find that doing whatever you decide to commit to every day is what's key.
Once I finish going through RS one last time, I will do a lesson or two with the Spanish tutors here to see where I'm at. Maybe I'll post a quick video blog entry sometime if my Spanish is good enough / I think it will be an encouragement to others here at Rocket Spanish.

Ava Dawn
December 6, 2014
Sounds great!