Passive sentences play an important role in language, allowing us to focus on the action performed on the subject rather than the subject itself. In Spanish, passive sentences are used to emphasize the receiver of an action rather than the doer. This introduction will provide a comprehensive overview of Spanish passive sentences, including their formation, usage, and examples to help beginners understand and use them effectively.
What are Passive Sentences?
Passive sentences are a grammatical construction in which the subject of the sentence is acted upon or undergoes the action. In English, passive sentences are formed by using the auxiliary verb “to be” followed by the past participle of the main verb (e.g., “The book was written”). In Spanish, passive sentences follow a similar structure, but with the verb “ser” (to be) and the past participle of the main verb.
Formation of Spanish Passive Sentences
To form a passive sentence in Spanish, you need the following elements:
The verb “ser” conjugated according to the subject.
The preposition “por” (by) to indicate the doer of the action.
The past participle of the main verb.
The formula for forming a passive sentence in Spanish is as follows:
Subject + “ser” conjugated + past participle + “por” + doer of the action (optional)
For example:
Active: El perro come el hueso. (The dog eats the bone.)
Passive: El hueso es comido por el perro. (The bone is eaten by the dog.)
In this example, “el hueso” (the bone) becomes the subject in the passive sentence, while “es comido” (is eaten) is the passive form of the verb “comer” (to eat), and “por el perro” (by the dog) indicates the doer of the action.
Usage of Spanish Passive Sentences
Passive sentences are commonly used in Spanish to:
Shift the focus from the doer to the receiver of the action.
Emphasize the object or the person/thing affected by the action.
Discuss actions in a more impersonal or objective manner.
Avoid mentioning the doer of the action when it is unknown or unimportant.
Examples of Spanish Passive Sentences
Let’s explore some examples to further illustrate the usage of passive sentences in Spanish:
a) Active: El chef prepara la cena. (The chef prepares dinner.)
Passive: La cena es preparada por el chef. (Dinner is prepared by the chef.)
b) Active: Los estudiantes estudian el libro. (The students study the book.)
Passive: El libro es estudiado por los estudiantes. (The book is studied by the students.)
c) Active: Juan pintó el cuadro. (Juan painted the picture.)
Passive: El cuadro fue pintado por Juan. (The picture was painted by Juan.)
d) Active: Ellos construyeron la casa. (They built the house.)
Passive: La casa fue construida por ellos. (The house was built by them.)
e) Active: La empresa lanzará un nuevo producto. (The company will launch a new product.)
Passive: Un nuevo producto será lanzado por la empresa. (A new product will be launched by the company.)
In these examples, the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence, and the verb changes to its passive form.
Additional Considerations
a) Agreement: In passive sentences, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, “Los libros son leídos por los estudiantes” (The books are read by the students), where “leídos” agrees with the plural subject “los libros” (the books).
b) Reflexive Verbs: When forming a passive sentence with a reflexive verb, the reflexive pronoun changes to “se.” For instance, “Ella se lavó las manos” (She washed her hands) becomes “Las manos fueron lavadas por ella” (The hands were washed by her).
c) Impersonal Passive: In some cases, the doer of the action is not mentioned or is generalized using the pronoun “se.” This is known as the impersonal passive. For example, “Se vende fruta fresca” (Fresh fruit is sold), where “se” indicates an unspecified subject or a general statement.
Conclusion
Spanish passive sentences allow us to shift the focus from the doer to the receiver of an action, emphasizing the object or person/thing affected. By following a simple structure with the verb “ser” and the past participle, beginners can construct passive sentences in Spanish. Understanding and using passive sentences effectively will enhance your ability to communicate in Spanish and add versatility to your language skills. With practice, you will become more comfortable incorporating passive sentences into your conversations or writing.
Quick quiz
Exercise 1:
Choose the correct passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: El niño rompió el vaso. (The boy broke the glass.)
a) El vaso es roto por el niño. (The glass is broken by the boy.)
b) El vaso fue roto por el niño. (The glass was broken by the boy.)
c) El vaso ha sido roto por el niño. (The glass has been broken by the boy.)
Answer: b) El vaso fue roto por el niño.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “rompió” (broke) is in the past tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the past tense of the verb “ser” (fue) followed by the past participle of the main verb (roto).
Example sentence: El vaso fue roto por el niño cuando jugaba.
Exercise 2:
Select the appropriate passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: El profesor corregirá los exámenes. (The teacher will correct the exams.)
a) Los exámenes serán corregidos por el profesor. (The exams will be corrected by the teacher.)
b) Los exámenes son corregidos por el profesor. (The exams are corrected by the teacher.)
c) Los exámenes fueron corregidos por el profesor. (The exams were corrected by the teacher.)
Answer: a) Los exámenes serán corregidos por el profesor.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “corregirá” (will correct) is in the future tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the future tense of the verb “ser” (serán) followed by the past participle of the main verb (corregidos).
Example sentence: Los exámenes serán corregidos por el profesor mañana.
Exercise 3:
Choose the correct passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: Marta limpió la casa. (Marta cleaned the house.)
a) La casa fue limpiada por Marta. (The house was cleaned by Marta.)
b) La casa es limpiada por Marta. (The house is cleaned by Marta.)
c) La casa ha sido limpiada por Marta. (The house has been cleaned by Marta.)
Answer: a) La casa fue limpiada por Marta.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “limpió” (cleaned) is in the past tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the past tense of the verb “ser” (fue) followed by the past participle of the main verb (limpiada).
Example sentence: La casa fue limpiada por Marta ayer.
Exercise 4:
Select the appropriate passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: Ellos construirán el puente. (They will build the bridge.)
a) El puente será construido por ellos.. (The bridge was built by them.)
b) El puente es construido por ellos. (The bridge is built by them.)
c) El puente ha sido construido por ellos. (The bridge has been built by them.)
Answer: a) El puente será construido por ellos.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “construirán” (will build) is in the future tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the future tense of the verb “ser” (será) followed by the past participle of the main verb (construido).
Example sentence: El puente sera construido por ellos la semana pasada.
Exercise 5:
Choose the correct passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: Ana compró el regalo. (Ana bought the gift.)
a) El regalo es comprado por Ana. (The gift is bought by Ana.)
b) El regalo fue comprado por Ana. (The gift was bought by Ana.)
c) El regalo ha sido comprado por Ana. (The gift has been bought by Ana.)
Answer: b) El regalo fue comprado por Ana.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “compró” (bought) is in the past tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the past tense of the verb “ser” (fue) followed by the past participle of the main verb (comprado).
Example sentence: El regalo fue comprado por Ana para su hermana.
Exercise 6:
Select the appropriate passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: Nosotros resolveremos el problema. (We will solve the problem.)
a) El problema será resuelto por nosotros. (The problem will be solved by us.)
b) El problema es resuelto por nosotros. (The problem is solved by us.)
c) El problema ha sido resuelto por nosotros. (The problem has been solved by us.)
Answer: a) El problema será resuelto por nosotros.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “resolveremos” (will solve) is in the future tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the future tense of the verb “ser” (será) followed by the past participle of the main verb (resuelto).
Example sentence: El problema será resuelto por nosotros en breve.
Exercise 7:
Choose the correct passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: Mis padres cocinan la cena. (My parents cook dinner.)
a) La cena es cocinada por mis padres. (Dinner is cooked by my parents.)
b) La cena fue cocinada por mis padres. (Dinner was cooked by my parents.)
c) La cena ha sido cocinada por mis padres. (Dinner has been cooked by my parents.)
Answer: a) La cena es cocinada por mis padres.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “cocinan” (cook) is in the present tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the present tense of the verb “ser” (es) followed by the past participle of the main verb (cocinada).
Example sentence: La cena es cocinada por mis padres todas las noches.
Exercise 8:
Select the appropriate passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: El pintor creó una obra maestra. (The painter created a masterpiece.)
a) Una obra maestra es creada por el pintor. (A masterpiece is created by the painter.)
b) Una obra maestra fue creada por el pintor. (A masterpiece was created by the painter.)
c) Una obra maestra ha sido creada por el pintor. (A masterpiece has been created by the painter.)
Answer: b) Una obra maestra fue creada por el pintor.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “creó” (created) is in the past tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the past tense of the verb “ser” (fue) followed by the past participle of the main verb (creada).
Example sentence: Una obra maestra fue creada por el pintor en su estudio.
Exercise 9:
Choose the correct passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: Mi hermana cortará el pastel. (My sister will cut the cake.)
a) El pastel será cortado por mi hermana. (The cake will be cut by my sister.)
b) El pastel es cortado por mi hermana. (The cake is cut by my sister.)
c) El pastel ha sido cortado por mi hermana. (The cake has been cut by my sister.)
Answer: a) El pastel será cortado por mi hermana.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “cortará” (will cut) is in the future tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the future tense of the verb “ser” (será) followed by the past participle of the main verb (cortado).
Example sentence: El pastel será cortado por mi hermana en la fiesta de cumpleaños.
Exercise 10:
Select the appropriate passive sentence for the given active sentence.
Active: Los obreros construyeron el edificio. (The workers built the building.)
a) El edificio será construido por los obreros. (The building will be built by the workers.)
b) El edificio es construido por los obreros. (The building is built by the workers.)
c) El edificio ha sido construido por los obreros. (The building has been built by the workers.)
Answer: c) El edificio ha sido construido por los obreros.
Explanation: In the active sentence, the verb “construyeron” (built) is in the past tense. To form the corresponding passive sentence, we need to use the past participle of the verb “ser” (ha sido) followed by the past participle of the main verb (construido).
Example sentence: El edificio ha sido construido por los obreros después de meses de trabajo.
Originally posted 2023-07-19 00:12:00.