Spanish Passive Voice – Learn and Practice

Welcome 😊 to our grammar lesson on the Spanish passive voice (“La voz pasiva”).

The passive voice happens when the subject receives (instead of doing) the action of the verb. For example: “The pyramids were built by Egyptians”. (The pyramids are the subject)

There are 2 ways of forming the passive voice in Spanish. We will learn both in this lesson, with example sentences.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use the passive voice properly.

You will also find a Quiz and Exercises to practice.

Passive voice with the verb “ser”

The formula consists of 2 words:

• First, the verb ser conjugated in whatever tense we need.
• Second, the Past Participle of the main verb (Click here to review the Past Participle). We need to match the Past Participle’s ending to the subject’s gender and number.

Let’s analyze some examples:

La canción es cantada.
The song is sung.

In this sentence, we have conjugated “ser” in Present Tense: es. Then we have changed the Past Participle of the verb “cantar” (“cantado”) to cantada, so that it matches the gender and number of “la canción”: feminine singular.

Los edificios son construidos.
The buildings are built.

Here we have also conjugated “ser” in Present Tense: son. Then, we have changed the Past Participle of the verb “construir” (“construido”) to construidos, so that it matches the gender and number of “los edificios”: masculine plural.

Note:

When we form the passive voice with “ser”, we have the option to also mention the doer of the action later in the sentence, introduced by por.

Example:
Los edificios son construidos por la compañía.
The buildings are built by the company.

More examples with “ser”:

El libro es leído por los alumnos.
The book is read by the students.

Las revistas serán publicadas por la editorial.
The magazines will be published by the publisher. (“serán” is the verb “ser” in Future Tense)

El árbol fue cortado.
The tree was cut down. (“fue” is the verb “ser” in Preterite Tense)

Passive voice with the particle “se”

The formula consists of 2 words:

• First, the particle se.
• Second, the main verb conjugated in whatever tense we need.

Let’s analyze some examples:

La canción se canta.
The song is sung.

In this sentence, we have conjugated the verb “cantar” in Present Tense for the 3rd person singular (canta), because “la canción” is singular.

Los edificios se construyen.
The buildings are built.

Here we have conjugated the verb “construir” in Present Tense for the 3rd person plural (construyen), because “los edificios” is plural.

More examples with “se”:

Esto se hace así.
This is done this way.

Las cartas se enviaban todos los días.
The letters were sent every day. (“enviaban” is the verb “enviar” in Imperfect Tense)

La información se olvidó.
The information was forgotten. (“olvidó” is verb “olvidar” in Preterite Tense)

Practice

Quiz

Take this short Quiz about the passive voice:

Exercise 1

Fill the gaps using the passive voice with the verb “ser” and the verbs in brackets. Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:

1) Las camisas son diseñadas en Italia. (diseñar)
The shirts are designed in Italy.

2) Este ordenador es fabricado en China. (fabricar)
This computer is made in China.

3) Los libros son escritos por autores importantes. (escribir)
The books are written by important authors.

4) El dinero es gastado por los clientes. (gastar)
The money is spent by the customers.

Exercise 2

Fill the gaps using the passive voice with the particle “se” and the verbs in brackets:

1) En mi colegio, los exámenes se hacen cada tres meses. (hacer)
At my school, exams are held every three months.

2) La nota final se recibe en junio. (recibir)
The final grade is received in June.

3) Los libros se prestan en la biblioteca. (prestar)
Books are borrowed from the library.

4) Las bebidas se venden en la cafetería. (vender)
Drinks are sold in the cafeteria.