Similar to Se accidental?

Question

This seems similar to the Se accidental construction with the exception that the action is happening directly to the object instead of indirectly. In both instances the action seems to be unattributable.

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Devin P.
You’re right to notice the similarity — both the “se accidental” and the impersonal with “ellos” constructions make the action unattributable.
The difference is in how they work:

With se accidental, the construction highlights that something happened “by accident” and often includes an indirect object pronoun to show who was affected (se me cayó el vaso = “the glass fell on me / I dropped the glass”).

With the impersonal “ellos”, the subject is left vague by using “they” in a general sense (*dicen que…” = “they say…”). It doesn’t imply an accident, just that the action is done by unspecified people.

So both avoid specifying a clear subject, but se accidental suggests lack of intention, while ellos impersonal simply avoids saying who.
Saludos
Silvia