Passive Voice (AQA A-Level Spanish): Revision Notes
Passive Voice
Overview
The passive voice (la voz pasiva) expresses an action where the focus is on what happens to the subject, rather than who performs the action. In Spanish, there are two main ways to form the passive:
- Using ser + past participle (similar to English structure)
- Using the reflexive se (more common in Spanish)
The passive construction shifts attention from the doer to the action or result.
The passive voice is particularly useful in formal writing, news reports, and when the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant. While both forms are correct, Spanish speakers often prefer the reflexive se construction in everyday conversation.
Formation: Using ser + past participle
This method works similarly to English passive constructions. The verb ser is conjugated in the appropriate tense, then followed by the past participle.
Basic structure: ser (conjugated) + past participle
How to form the past participle
The regular past participle is created by:
- Removing the infinitive ending
- Adding -ado to -ar verbs
- Adding -ido to -er and -ir verbs
| Infinitive | Past participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | hablado | spoken |
| vender | vendido | sold |
| escribir | escrito | written |
Some verbs have irregular past participles that don't follow these patterns. Common irregular forms include: escrito (escribir), hecho (hacer), visto (ver), dicho (decir), and puesto (poner).
Agreement rules
The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject (the noun it refers to).
Critical Rule: Past Participle Agreement
When using ser + past participle, the past participle must change its ending to match the subject:
- Masculine singular: -o (vendido)
- Feminine singular: -a (vendida)
- Masculine plural: -os (vendidos)
- Feminine plural: -as (vendidas)
This agreement is NOT optional—it's a grammatical requirement in Spanish.
Ejemplo Trabajado: Agreement with Different Subjects
Let's see how the past participle vendido (sold) changes:
-
El coche fue vendido la semana pasada. (masculine singular)
- The car was sold last week.
-
La casa fue vendida la semana pasada. (feminine singular)
- The house was sold last week.
-
Los ordenadores fueron vendidos ayer. (masculine plural)
- The computers were sold yesterday.
-
Las entradas fueron vendidas rápidamente. (feminine plural)
- The tickets were sold quickly.
Notice how vendido → vendida → vendidos → vendidas depending on the subject.
More examples:
- Los ordenadores son apagados al final de la clase. (The computers are turned off at the end of the lesson.)
- La habitación fue limpiada esta mañana. (The room was cleaned this morning.)
In these examples, the past participles (apagados, limpiada) change their endings to match the nouns they describe.
Ser conjugations for passive voice
| Tense | Example with ser | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | es/son usado/a/os/as | is/are used |
| Preterite | fue/fueron vendido/a/os/as | was/were sold |
| Imperfect | era/eran usado/a/os/as | was/were used |
| Future | será/serán visto/a/os/as | will be watched |
Ejemplo Trabajado: Using Different Tenses
Let's translate: "The programme will be watched by millions of people."
Step 1: Identify the subject
- The subject is "the programme" → el programa (masculine singular)
Step 2: Identify the tense
- "will be" → future tense → use será
Step 3: Form the past participle
- "watched" comes from "watch" → "ver" in Spanish
- Past participle of ver → visto
Step 4: Make agreement
- El programa is masculine singular, so visto stays as is
Final answer: El programa será visto por millones de personas.
More examples with translations:
- Spanish is spoken in Costa Rica. → El español es hablado en Costa Rica.
- The results will be published next week. → Los resultados serán publicados la semana próxima.
- The website is mainly used by young people. → El sitio web es usado principalmente por los jóvenes.
Formation: Using the reflexive se
The reflexive se construction is another way to express the passive in Spanish. This structure is very common in Spanish, though it may sound unusual to English speakers (as if the verb "does itself").
Basic structure: se + verb (third person)
When to use reflexive se
The reflexive passive is particularly common when:
- The action is general or impersonal
- No specific agent is mentioned
- In written or formal Spanish
Why "se" for passive?
The reflexive pronoun se can express passive meaning when used with third-person verbs. Think of it as "the action is done to itself" even though in English we'd say "the action is done." This is one of the most natural ways to express passive voice in Spanish, especially in everyday speech.
Ejemplo Trabajado: Reflexive se in Different Contexts
Let's see how to express "The car was sold last week" using reflexive se:
Step 1: Identify the subject
- "The car" → el coche (masculine singular)
Step 2: Use the reflexive se
- Add se before the verb
Step 3: Conjugate the verb to match the subject
- "was sold" → vender in preterite → vendió (third person singular)
Step 4: Put it together
- Se vendió el coche la semana pasada.
- Or: El coche se vendió la semana pasada. (more common word order)
Both word orders are correct in Spanish.
Examples with translations:
- El sitio web se usa principalmente para bajar música. (The website is mainly used for downloading music.)
- Se publicarán los resultados la semana próxima. (The results will be published next week.)
- El coche se vendió la semana pasada. (The car was sold last week.)
In these sentences, the verb agrees with the subject (sitio web, resultados, coche) just as it would in an active sentence.
Choosing the correct tense
To select which tense to use with ser in the passive, look at the tense of "to be" in the English sentence:
| English | Spanish ser tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| is/are | present | es usado |
| was/were | preterite | fue vendido |
| will be | future | será publicado |
Tense Matching Rule
Always match the tense of ser to the tense of "to be" in English:
- Present "to be" → Present ser
- Past "to be" → Preterite ser (or Imperfect for ongoing past actions)
- Future "to be" → Future ser
Don't mix tenses! If English uses "was," you must use fue/fueron, not es/son.
Example sentences in context
Ejemplo Trabajado: Present Tense
English: The website is mainly used by young people.
Spanish: El sitio web es usado principalmente por los jóvenes.
Analysis: The present tense of ser (es) shows an ongoing, general situation. The past participle usado agrees with el sitio web (masculine singular).
Ejemplo Trabajado: Preterite Tense
English: The car was sold last week.
Spanish: El coche fue vendido la semana pasada.
Analysis: The preterite (fue) indicates a completed action in the past. The time phrase "la semana pasada" (last week) confirms this is a single completed event.
Ejemplo Trabajado: Future Tense
English: The results will be published next week.
Spanish: Los resultados serán publicados la semana próxima.
Analysis: The future tense (serán) shows something that will happen. Note the past participle publicados uses the masculine plural ending to agree with los resultados.
Ejemplo Trabajado: Comparing ser + past participle vs. reflexive se
English: The room was cleaned this morning.
Option 1 (ser + past participle): La habitación fue limpiada esta mañana.
Option 2 (reflexive se): Se limpió la habitación esta mañana.
Which to choose? Both versions are correct, but the reflexive se version often sounds more natural to native speakers, especially in everyday conversation.
Common mistakes & tips
Agreement Errors: The Most Common Mistake
The most frequent error is forgetting to make the past participle agree with the subject when using ser + past participle.
Incorrect Examples:
- ❌ Los ordenadores son apagado (masculine singular ending with masculine plural subject)
- ❌ La habitación fue limpiado (masculine singular ending with feminine singular subject)
Correct Examples:
- ✅ Los ordenadores son apagados (masculine plural matches masculine plural subject)
- ✅ La habitación fue limpiada (feminine singular matches feminine singular subject)
Remember: The past participle must match the subject in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
Choosing between ser + past participle and reflexive se
Both structures are correct, but reflexive se is often more common and natural in Spanish, especially:
- In everyday speech
- When no agent is mentioned
- In impersonal statements
The ser + past participle construction is more common when:
- Specifying who performs the action (using "por")
- Translating directly from English
- In formal or academic writing
Tense Confusion
Match the tense of ser to the English "to be" verb. If the English says "was sold" (past), use the preterite fue vendido, not the present es vendido.
Think of it this way:
- "is" → es
- "was" → fue
- "will be" → será
Summary
Key Points to Remember:
-
The passive voice has two forms in Spanish: ser + past participle (like English) and reflexive se (more common in Spanish)
-
When using ser + past participle, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject—this is not optional!
-
Regular past participles: -ar verbs add -ado, -er/-ir verbs add -ido
-
The reflexive se passive is very common and natural in Spanish, even though it sounds odd to English speakers
-
Choose the tense of ser based on the English "to be" verb: is/are (present), was/were (preterite), will be (future)
-
Both passive forms are grammatically correct, but native speakers often prefer reflexive se in everyday conversation