Passive Voice in Spanish for English speakers

In this guide, you will learn how to understand and use the passive voice correctly in Spanish. The passive voice allows you to shift the focus from the doer of the action to the action itself. This can be particularly useful in certain situations or when you want to emphasize the object or the action rather than the subject.

Before we dive into the details, let's quickly recap the basics of the active voice and the passive voice in English.

Active Voice: The subject performs the action. Example: "The dog chased the cat."

Passive Voice: The subject receives the action. Example: "The cat was chased by the dog."

Now, let's explore how the passive voice works in Spanish.

Formation of the Passive Voice: To form the passive voice in Spanish, you need to use the verb "ser" (to be) followed by the past participle of the main verb. The past participle is formed by adding the suffix "-ado" to -ar verbs and "-ido" to -er/-ir verbs.

Here's the general formula for constructing the passive voice in Spanish:

Ser + Past Participle + por + Agent (optional)

Example: Active Voice: "El perro persigue al gato." (The dog chases the cat.) Passive Voice: "El gato es perseguido por el perro." (The cat is chased by the dog.)

In the passive voice, the subject becomes the receiver of the action ("el gato"), the verb "es" corresponds to the English verb "is," and "perseguido" is the past participle of the verb "perseguir" (to chase).

Key Points to Remember:

1. The past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number. Example: "Los libros son leídos por mí." (The books are read by me.)

2. The agent (the doer of the action) can be included after the preposition "por" but is often omitted if it is not relevant or unknown. Example: "El proyecto fue completado por el equipo." (The project was completed by the team.)

3. Some verbs, such as "conocer" (to know) and "saber" (to know), cannot be used in the passive voice since they express a personal experience or knowledge. Example: "No se conoce la respuesta." (The answer is not known.)

4. The word order may vary depending on emphasis or context. Spanish speakers tend to use the passive voice more sparingly than English speakers, so consider using the active voice whenever possible.

Example: "La cena está siendo preparada por mi madre." (The dinner is being prepared by my mother.)

With this guide, you now have a better understanding of how the passive voice works in Spanish. Remember to regularly practice constructing sentences in the passive voice to reinforce your understanding and improve your fluency.