Key points about the passive voice in Spanish
Use the passive voice when talking about what is done to someone or something.
You can form the passive voice by using the correct form of the verb ser and the Form of the verb that expresses a completed action. Usually ends in 'ed' in English, eg watched, danced, visited..
You can use the impersonal se to avoid the passive.
What is the passive voice in Spanish?
The passive voice is used to say what is done to someone or something.
For example:
Mi colegio fue construido en los a帽os noventa. - My school was built in the nineties.
El pueblo fue destruido en la guerra. - The village was destroyed in the war.
If you want to add someone or something doing the action, add por (by) and who or what did it.
For example:
El coche es conducido por mi padre. - The car is driven by my father.
Fue escrito por Diego. - It was written by Diego.
How to form the passive voice in Spanish
The passive voice is formed using the correct form of ser followed by the Form of the verb that expresses a completed action. Usually ends in 'ed' in English, eg watched, danced, visited..
The past participle for ar verbs is formed by removing the ar ending from the Form of the verb that has not been conjugated. Usually translated with 'to' in English, eg to play. to form the The part of the verb that is left once the infinitive ending (ar/er/ir) has been taken off. It can also be called a radical. and adding ado.
For example:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to clean) 鈫 Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (cleaned)
Las mesas fueron limpiadas. - The tables were cleaned.
The past participle for er and ir verbs is formed by removing the er or ir ending from the infinitive and adding ido.
For example:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to eat) 鈫 Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (eaten)
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to allow) 鈫 Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (allowed)
El maquillaje no fue permitido. - Make-up was not allowed.
Some verbs have Something that does not follow the usual or 鈥榬egular鈥 pattern. past participles.
For example:
| infinitive | past participle |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to say | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - said |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to describe | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - described |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to write | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - written |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to make/do | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - done |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to put | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - puesto |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to see | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - seen |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to read | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - read |
For example:
Fue escrito por Diego. - It was written by Diego.
Fue hecho por Ana. - It was made by Ana.
Making the past participle agree
When used in the passive, the past participle works like an Used to describe nouns and must agree with the nouns they are describing. and needs to agree with what it is describing.
For example:
La pizza fue comida inmediatamente. - The pizza was eaten immediately.
Pizza is a singular feminine noun, so comida ends in a to agree with pizza in gender and number.
Using 'se' to avoid the passive
The passive is not very common in Spanish. It can be avoided by using the Words that replace nouns such as he, she, it, they. se and the third person Refers to only one object or person. (茅濒/别濒濒补/耻蝉迟别诲别蝉) or More than one of an item. (ellos/ellas/ustedes) forms of the verb.
For example:
Se recicla el papel instead of el papel es reciclado. - Paper is recycled.
Se venden bocadillos en el cafeteria instead of los bocadillos son vendidos en el cafeteria. - Sandwiches are sold in the caf茅.
For more on using the impersonal se in Spanish, have a look at the guide on impersonal verbs.
Quiz - The passive voice in Spanish
Practise what you've learned about the passive voice in Spanish with this quiz.
Now you have learned about the passive voice in Spanish why not explore future tenses in Spanish?