Structure of the Passive Voice
The passive voice in Spanish is formed using the verb ser to be followed by the past participle of the main verb The agent the one performing the action is introduced with the preposition por by The general formula for constructing passive voice sentences in Spanish is Subject ser past participle por agent
This structure can be applied to various tenses as demonstrated below
Examples of Passive Voice
To understand the passive voice better lets look at some examples
Active Voice El chef prepara la cena The chef prepares the dinner
Passive Voice La cena es preparada por el chef The dinner is prepared by the chef
Active Voice Los niños hicieron los deberes The children did the homework
Passive Voice Los deberes fueron hechos por los niños The homework was done by the children
Active Voice María escribió la carta Maria wrote the letter
Passive Voice La carta fue escrita por María The letter was written by Maria
Forms of Ser in Passive Voice
The verb ser changes to match the tense and number of the subject in the passive sentence Here are examples using different tenses
Present Tense
El libro es leído por Juan The book is read by Juan
Los libros son leídos por Juan The books are read by Juan
Preterite Tense
La casa fue construida por el arquitecto The house was built by the architect
Las casas fueron construidas por el arquitecto The houses were built by the architect
Imperfect Tense
La comida era preparada por la abuela The food was prepared by the grandmother
Las comidas eran preparadas por la abuela The meals were prepared by the grandmother
Future Tense
El proyecto será terminado por el equipo The project will be finished by the team
Los proyectos serán terminados por el equipo The projects will be finished by the team
Conditional Tense
La propuesta sería aceptada por todos The proposal would be accepted by everyone
Las propuestas serían aceptadas por todos The proposals would be accepted by everyone
Past Participles in Passive Voice
In Spanish the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence This agreement is crucial for grammatical correctness Here are some examples
Masculine Singular El cuadro fue pintado por el artista The painting was painted by the artist
Feminine Singular La canción fue cantada por la cantante The song was sung by the singer
Masculine Plural Los artículos fueron escritos por el periodista The articles were written by the journalist
Feminine Plural Las cartas fueron enviadas por la secretaria The letters were sent by the secretary
Omitting the Agent
In many cases the agent of the action is either unknown or unimportant In such situations the passive voice can be constructed without mentioning the agent This is common in news reports academic writing and official documents Here are some examples
La tienda fue cerrada The store was closed
El proyecto será revisado The project will be reviewed
La decisión fue tomada The decision was made
Differences Between Spanish and English Passive Voice
While the passive voice in Spanish is similar to English there are some notable differences
Use of Reflexive Passive Se Pasiva In Spanish the reflexive pronoun se is often used to create a passivelike construction especially in spoken language and informal writing This construction is known as the reflexive passive or pasiva refleja It is more common than the ser passive in everyday communication
Examples
Se vendieron todos los boletos All the tickets were sold
Se construyeron muchos edificios nuevos Many new buildings were constructed
Agreement of Past Participles In Spanish past participles must agree in gender and number with the subject whereas in English the past participle does not change
Examples
Las ventanas fueron limpiadas The windows were cleaned
Los informes fueron aprobados The reports were approved
Flexibility of Structure Spanish allows for more flexibility in the placement of the agent within the sentence The agent can be placed before the verb especially in relative clauses
Examples
La comida que fue preparada por el chef estaba deliciosa The food that was prepared by the chef was delicious
Los documentos que fueron firmados por el director están en la mesa The documents that were signed by the director are on the table
Reflexive Passive Pasiva Refleja
The reflexive passive or pasiva refleja is a common way to form passivelike sentences in Spanish It uses the reflexive pronoun se followed by a verb in the active voice This construction indicates that an action is being performed without specifying the agent It is particularly useful for general statements and instructions
Examples of Reflexive Passive
Se venden casas Houses are sold
Se necesita ayuda Help is needed
Se construyeron muchos puentes Many bridges were built
Se busca gerente Manager wanted
Differences Between Ser Passive and Reflexive Passive
While both the ser passive and the reflexive passive are used to form passive constructions they have different implications and usages
Formality The ser passive is generally more formal and is often used in written language official documents and situations where the agent is important The reflexive passive is more common in spoken language and informal writing
Agent Mention The ser passive typically includes the agent whereas the reflexive passive does not The reflexive passive focuses on the action itself rather than who performed it
Verb Agreement In the reflexive passive the verb agrees with the subject in number singular or plural while in the ser passive the past participle also agrees in gender and number with the subject
Examples of Verb Agreement
Se vendió la casa The house was sold
Se vendieron las casas The houses were sold
In contrast
La casa fue vendida por el agente The house was sold by the agent
Las casas fueron vendidas por el agente The houses were sold by the agent
Choosing Between Ser Passive and Reflexive Passive
The choice between using the ser passive and the reflexive passive depends on several factors including formality clarity and emphasis Here are some guidelines
Use the ser passive when the agent is important or relevant to the context
Use the reflexive passive for general statements instructions and when the agent is unknown or unimportant
Consider the formality of the context The ser passive is more formal while the reflexive passive is more informal
Examples of Choosing Between Passives
Formal Context
El premio fue recibido por el autor The prize was received by the author
Informal Context
Se recibieron muchos premios Many prizes were received
